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NEWS | OneRedmond holds 2014 Legislative Reception [2] CRIME ALERT | Redmond Police Blotter [3]
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2014
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
Metalwala keeps believing his missing son will be found
SPORTS | Redmond High swimmers headed to 4A state meet in Federal Way [12]
Hamming it up at SecondStory Rep
ANDY NYSTROM anystrom@redmond-reporter.com
Ever since his son went missing three years ago, Solomon Metalwala has been on edge. The 39-year-old Kirkland resident doesn’t know what kind of information is coming around the corner. “Every call that I get with a number I don’t know, I hope that it’s some kind of clue leading to something,” Metalwala said on Monday morning about his son, Sky, who has been missing since Nov. 6, 2011. Sky was 2 years old at the time. “Every time, I just imagine where he will be, knowing that he was so young when this happened,” Metalwala continued. “I still believe he’s alive because there’s no proof that he’s not alive. That’s enough proof for me to keep on believing that he’s out there some place.” Metalwala’s ex-wife Julia Biryukova of Redmond told police her son went missing after her car ran out of gas near the 2400 block of 112th Avenue Northeast in Bellevue. She told police she left Sky in the car sleeping, bundled in a blanket and walked to a nearby gas station with her 4-year-old daughter. When she returned about an hour later, she said Sky was gone. In November 2011, investigators searched numerous locations, includ-
Shown left is what Sky Metalwala looked like when he disappeared, and on the right is an age-progression photo of what the boy may look like at 5 today. Courtesy of Bellevue Police Department ing Marymoor The Reporter “Every call that I Park near Redget with a number couldn’t locate mond because of I don’t know, I hope Birykova to its proximity to comment on that it’s some kind the downtown Sky’s disappearof clue leading to ance. Redmond apartsomething.” ment where the The Bellevue Solomon Metalwala boy lived with Police Departhis sister and ment (BPD) Biryukova. reported at this Metalwala has same time last contended since his son’s year it had exhausted all disappearance that Biryuleads in its search for Sky. kova may have turned him Metalwala said police over to a friend or family are still investigating the member over concerns case, but he doesn’t meet she would lose custody with detectives like he of him. Their divorce was frequently did in 2011-12. finalized in January 2012, If information comes to with Metalwala receiving light, detectives will concustody of their daughter. tact Metalwala, he added. Biryukova was interviewed “Often times, it takes by police, but allegedly only one witness or key became uncooperative and piece of evidence to solve stopped speaking with law a case,” said BPD officer enforcement. Seth Tyler in a Nov. 6 news Metalwala hasn’t seen or release. spoken to Biryukova for These days, Metalwala three years. said his days are pretty ac“Someone told me she’s tive: he works, spends time still in Redmond,” he said. [ more SKY page 7]
From left to right, Stephanie Spohrer, Maya Sugarman, Tom Mezger, Jessi Little and Elizabeth Posluns star in “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” through Nov. 23 at SecondStory Repertory in Redmond Town Center, 16587 N.E. 74th St. For more information, visit www.secondstoryrep.org. Courtesy of Michael Brunk, NWLens
Redmond nonprofit seeks to create self-reliance in Tanzania ASHLEY WALLS UW News Lab
A young boy walked into the clinic with so much plaque on his teeth that he couldn’t close his mouth or smile. His own mother hadn’t heard him talk in nearly two years. After hearing on the radio that an American dental team was going to be in the local clinic, the boy and his mother walked to see them. But the team’s dental machine kept overloading and breaking down, so all power tools were rendered useless while volunteers used everything from refrigerator parts to tin foil to repair it. “I thought we were doomed,” recalled vol-
Jeff Snow (center, back row) stands with volunteers from the Mwangaza Foundation and locals of Songea, a small village in Tanzania. Pictured center is the village’s mayor. Courtesy of Jeff Snow unteer Vearlene Snow, a retired dental hygienist in Redmond. “I grabbed my hand tools while they tried to repair the machine, and scraped away at everything that had built up on his teeth. When we were done, he smiled and said ‘thank
you’ in Swahili. The entire clinic burst into tears.” Health care is one of the four areas of focus that the Mwangaza Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Redmond, seeks to address [ more TANZANIA page 7 ]
Foster sentenced to one year in prison for role in stabbing on Redmond river trail STAFF REPORT
Edwin Foster, who pleaded guilty to second-degree assault for his role in a Redmond stabbing on June 13, was sentenced to one year
in prison on Nov. 7, according to a press secretary for the King County Prosecuting Attorney Office. Trevor Utley was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Aug. 22 for
second-degree assault in the incident and Ronald Fox was sentenced to two years in prison on Oct. 3 for second-degree assault with a deadly weapon enhancement.
The incident took place along the Sammamish River Trail during which a 28-year-old man was stabbed and assaulted. • Redmond resident
Daniel Haggart, who pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Redmond’s Cara Neil in July, had his case-setting hearing on Oct. 30 contin-
ued to Dec. 4 to allow the defense expert to finish a mitigation report, according to a press secretary for the King County Prosecuting Attorney Office.