Date:
April 4, 2016 (Monday)
Location:
City Park, Wanfried, Hesse, Germany
Situation:
Missing
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Aref Ismaili
Nickname: Unknown
Alternative Name: Unknown
Spitzname: Unbekannt
Alternative Namen: Unbekannt
Disappearance (Verschwindens)
Missing from: Wanfried, Hesse, Germany
Date Missing: April 4, 2016 (Monday)
Suspects: There are two suspects (a man and a woman)
Ort des Verschwindens: Wanfried, Hessen, Deutschland
Datum des Verschwindens: April 2016 (Montag)
Der Verdächtige: Es gibt zwei Verdächtige. Ein Mann und eine Frau.
Circumstances (die Umstände):
Aref, a four-year-old child refugee from Afghanistan, was living with his parents and three siblings in a refugee shelter in Wanfried, Germany. He was a friendly child who often played at a small city park along the Werra River near the shelter.
On April 4, the siblings were playing at the park, and Aref was playing on his tricycle in the direction of the river. Approximately 6:30pm (18:30), his mother (Mozhda Ismaili) looked but Aref had vanished. His mother suspected he had simply gone back to the shelter as he sometimes would make the trip alone. He was very independent and would occasionally ride ahead of the family.
Upon arriving back, his mother found that Aref had not come home either and called the police around 8:30pm (20:30). Initial conclusions were that Aref had accidentally drowned in the Werra River. However searches turned up nothing, and police now believe this assumption was mistaken.
Later, people reported that a mysterious black SUV (BMW X3 or X5) with Berlin plates had been driving through the area (including near the park) that day and had been parked at the refugee shelter earlier. In the car were two suspects:
- Male, Caucasian, 60-70 yr, curly white hair (bald on top), distinctive hooked nose (see police sketch below)
- Female, Caucasian, 30-40 yr, dark blonde hair to her buttocks, thin, short (4’11” – 5’4″). She was dressed in leggings and a skirt.
One witness reported seeing a child fitting Aref’s description with an older man in Berlin (250mi away), but this report is unconfirmed.
Description (Beschreibung)
Date of Birth: August 14, 2011
Age at Disappearance: 4
Ethnicity: Middle Eastern
Nationality: Afghanistan
Gender at Birth: Male
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Black
Height: 3’3″ (100cm)
Weight:
Geburtsdatum: 14. August 2011
Alter zum Zeitpunkt des Verschwindens: 4
Volkszugehörigkeit: Naher Osten
Nationalität: Afghanistan
Geschlecht: Männlich
Haarfarbe: Schwarzes Haar
Augenfarbe: Schwarz
Höhe: 3’3″ (100cm)
Gewicht:
Distinguishing Features (Unterscheidungsmerkmale)
- Unknown
- Unbekannt
Clothing (Kleidung)
- Green Shirt
- Dark Trousers
- Grünes Shirt
- Dunkle Hosen
Suspects (Der Verdächtige)
There are two suspects, a man and woman who were together in a Black SUV with Berlin License Plates parked outside the refugee center.
- Male, Caucasian, 60-70 yr, curly white hair (bald on top), distinctive hooked nose
- Female, Caucasian, 30-40 yr, dark blonde hair to her buttocks, thin, short (4’11” – 5’4″). She was dressed in leggings and a skirt.
Hier sind zwei Verdächtige, ein Mann und eine Frau, die zusammen in einem schwarzen SUV mit Berliner Nummernschildern vor dem Flüchtlingszentrum geparkt waren.
- Männlich, Kaukasier, 60-70 Jahre, lockiges weißes Haar (oben kahl), markante Hakennase.
- Weiblich, Kaukasier, 30-40 Jahre, dunkelblondes Haar bis zum Gesäß, dünn, kurz (4’11” – 5’4″). Sie trug Leggings und einen Rock.
Vehicle (Fahrzeug)
- Black SUV (BMW X3 or X5) with Berlin license plates
- Schwarzes SUV (BMW X3 oder X5) mit Berliner Nummernschild
If You or Anyone You Know Has Information About The Disappearances, Please Contact:
- Eschwege Police Department
Or use the QR Code (right) to find contact information for the National Police.
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Resources
- F.R.E.D.I. (2016) ‘Aref Ismaili’, Foundation pour la Recherche d’Enfants Disparus, International. Available from Link.
- Focus (2016) ‘Hoffnung auf neue Hinweise: Polizei sucht nach Berliner Fahrzeug’, 22 April. Available from: Link
- RTL Hessen (2018) ‘5-jähriger Aref aus Wanfried vermisst’, 21 March. Available from: Link
- BZ Berlin (2016) ‘Fünfjähriger vermisst – BMW mit Berliner Kennzeichen gesucht’, 22 April. Available from: Link
- Focus (2016) ‘Suche nach Aref geht weiter – Ermittler hoffen auf Aktenzeichen XY’, 11 June. Available from: Link
- HNA (2016) ‘Wurde vermisster Aref entführt? Polizei folgt jetzt zwei Hinweisen’, 30 June. Available from: Link
- u/444jojo555 (2018) ‘Aref, 5, disappeared from a playground in a small German town in April 2016 and hasn’t been seen since’ in “r/Unsolved Mysteries” under Reddit.com. Available from: Link
- Wüstenberg, D. (2017) ‘Seit 16 Monaten verschwunden: Wo ist der kleine Aref?’, Stern, 1 August. Available from: Link
- Seher, D. (2019) ‘Die Liste der vermissten Teenager ist lang’, t-online, 9 March. Available from: Link
- Frankfurter Neue Presse (2016) ‘Neue Hoffnung auch im Fall des verschwundenen Aref’, FNP, 1 July. Available from: Link
- Bild (2018) ‘Aref Ismaili (7) aus Wanfried’, 23 August. Available from: Link
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Last Updated: June 19, 2023