Police: Nothing Wrong With Mother's Car in Missing Toddler Case

The car driven by a Redmond mother when her 2-year-old son went missing is running "just fine," Bellevue Police Maj. Mike Johnson told reporters Friday morning at a press briefing.

Johnson said investigators took the car, a 1998 Acura Integra Coupe, on a test drive early Friday and said they found nothing wrong with the vehicle. Police also gathered data from the vehicle and will continue to keep it in secure storage until further notice, Johnson said.

Julia Biryukova, 30, missing on Sunday, Nov. 6, telling police she left Sky unattended in her car after she ran out of gas on 112th Avenue Northeast in Bellevue. Investigators they had found a "sufficient" amount of fuel in the vehicle to drive it for a considerable distance.

Meanwhile, to come in for an interview has gone unanswered. Johnson said Biryukova has not spoken to police directly since Sunday, although she has answered questions through her attorney this week.

Biryukova has also continued to decline a request to take a voluntary polygraph test, Johnson said. Even though he has expressed doubts as to the credibility of Biryukova's story, Johnson emphasized that she is still not a suspect in the case.

“In order to make an arrest and develop probable cause and identify suspects and persons of interest, we need evidence," Johnson said. "At this point, we don’t have it.”

Johnson also revealed Friday that Sky's father, 36-year-old Solomon Metalwala of Kirkland, came in for a second polygraph exam on Thursday. Metalwala's first test resulted in an inconclusive reading.

But Johnson said police would not be releasing the results of the second test at this time. Reached Friday morning by phone, Clay Terry, Metalwala's attorney, said they have not yet received the results from the second test.

“I think there was some other matters (the investigators) were wanting to go over,” Terry said, adding that Metalwala's relatives are continuing to comply with requests for DNA samples and polygraph tests.

Despite the lack of answers in the case so far, Johnson emphasized the investigation is continuing, and said police are still working under the assumption that Sky is alive.

“The search and rescue teams, their dogs search for live scents and cadaver scent, and we haven’t had any indications of either," he said. "So it’s a missing person investigation.”

In the coming days, Johnson said investigators plan to conduct additional searches but said he could not specify where or when they would take place. He said investigators have fielded more than 330 tips, emails and phone calls since Sky's disappearance and have 150 local, state, county and federal law enforcement officials helping with the case.

Another press briefing is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Friday. To read other stories from Patch's coverage of Sky Metalwala's disappearance, click here.

Sky Elijah Metalwala

Age 2, 2’10” tall, 39 pounds, black hair, brown eyes.

Sky was last seen on Nov. 6, 2011, in the 2600 block of 112th Ave. N.E., Bellevue, Wash.

He was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, black and aqua blue sweatpants and white socks.

Sky was in the silver 1998 Acura Integra three door coupe pictured when he disappeared.

Police ask anyone who was traveling Sunday morning along 112th Avenue Northeast, between State Route 520 and Northeast 24th Street, to please call the Bellevue Police tip line at 425-452-2564.