In the spring of 2010, when the mountains of northern Albania were turning green again, six-year-old Bleona Mata walked a familiar path with a small band of neighborhood friends. It was May 22, an ordinary day in the village of Zapod, tucked into the rugged slopes of the Kukës region. For generations, children there had grown up in the rhythm of pastoral life, trailing livestock along highland trails as comfortably as others walk to school.
That morning, Bleona set out with five other girls, a mix of cousins, relatives, and neighbors, making their way up into the hills to help herd the livestock along the mountain paths, a common practice in the area’s pastoral community.
Upon the group’s return, Bleona was discovered to be missing. She had vanished somewhere along that familiar route in broad daylight. There were no reports of cries for help and no witnesses stepped forward with information.
Law enforcement initiated searches promptly, examining mountain paths, ravines, and forested areas, while volunteers canvassed surrounding slopes and potential routes. Despite these efforts, no evidence was uncovered, including clothing, footprints, personal items, or any indication of her fate.

According to contemporaneous reports, search teams found no body, clothing, or physical remains in the area on the day of Bleona Mata’s disappearance. Despite extensive efforts on the surrounding mountainsides, the absence of any trace significantly weakened early theories that the six-year-old had died accidentally, such as by falling or becoming lost.
In the initial phase of the investigation, authorities approached the case as a typical missing-person scenario. They examined the possibility that Bleona had wandered away from the group of children she had been with, or that she had suffered an accident in the rugged terrain. However, as days passed without the discovery of evidence and with no credible witness reporting that she had separated from the group on her own, investigators grew increasingly doubtful that an accident was the cause.

Over the years, many members of Bleona Mata’s family and community grew increasingly convinced that the six-year-old had been abducted rather than lost in the mountains. Her mother and several relatives publicly voiced concerns that individuals within their own community may have played a role. Their suspicions extended to people who had accompanied Bleona on the day she vanished, as well as to others living in the area, according to local reporting. According to Bleona’s mother, two of the five girls who accompanied the child on the day she disappeared, including one of Bleona’s aunts, deceived her and then handed her over to an unidentified man. Those accused within the community have consistently denied any involvement in the disappearance.
Members of the family have, at various points, stated that they possess additional evidence, including phone intercepts or video recordings, which they believe implicate specific individuals, including extended relatives. They have repeatedly called on state authorities to renew investigative efforts, reexamine witnesses, and pursue potential suspects with greater urgency.

A significant turning point occurred nearly a decade later with the arrest of Sadat Toskic, a Croatian national, in 2019. Authorities in Croatia detained Toskic on suspicion of kidnapping four Albanian children, and investigators have alleged that one of the children he targeted was Bleona. According to reports, Toskic and an associate, Sanja Kristo, allegedly used forged documentation in attempts to register and transport minors, raising the possibility that Bleona may have been trafficked outside Albania shortly after her disappearance.
The arrests prompted renewed attention in Albanian media. Several investigative programs revisited Bleona’s case and called on authorities to intensify efforts and consider filing charges. Despite this renewed scrutiny, no definitive public conclusion has been released, and Bleona’s fate remains unresolved as of the latest available reporting.

*Global Missing Kids says she disappeared on May 21 and that her birth date is December 31, 2003. This case file is based on the Interpol alert instead.