JERUSALEM (VINnews) – A missing-person investigation that captivated Israel took an unexpected turn after police discovered that a mother and daughter had apparently planned their disappearance and used an AI chatbot while preparing to leave the country.

Mali and Liel Yahalomi were found alive Friday aboard a bus in Buenos Aires, Argentina, nearly a week after disappearing in Vienna, according to Israeli police and Hebrew media reports cited by The Times of Israel.

Investigators reportedly learned early in the case that the two had left voluntarily. Authorities imposed a gag order, according to reports, in an effort to prevent information from reaching the women and potentially causing them to change their plans.

The investigation reportedly uncovered a digital trail involving Google’s Gemini chatbot. According to Kan, investigators obtained access to the women’s chatbot history, which allegedly contained questions about how to relocate without being tracked.

The women had apparently been preparing their departure for weeks. Reports say Mali withdrew about 14,000 euros in cash before leaving Israel. After traveling through Europe, the two reportedly shut off their original phones and purchased new devices in an effort to avoid detection.

Investigators eventually traced their journey to a flight from Frankfurt to Buenos Aires.

Israeli police alerted an officer working in South America, Walter Kogan, who coordinated with Argentine authorities. The women were located on a bus in Buenos Aires, where Kogan approached them and spoke to them in Hebrew.

🛑New footage shows Mali and Liel Yahalomi being questioned after they were located in Argentina by Superintendent Walter Alejandro Kogan, the Israel Police representative in Latin America. pic.twitter.com/73KJiTcgWf

— Iris (@streetwize) August 15, 2026

According to Channel 12, Kogan asked whether anyone was threatening or blackmailing them or whether they were fleeing because of financial problems. The women reportedly answered no.

They said they simply wanted to disconnect from their family and Israel and begin a new life, according to the report.

Police sources later said the women had allegedly planned to obtain false passports and new identities. Authorities reportedly found no evidence that they had been abducted or were in immediate danger.

The case had generated intense speculation in Israel, including unsubstantiated theories involving terrorism, kidnapping and financial wrongdoing. Rumors also briefly sent shares of Bank of Jerusalem lower because of Mali’s employment at the bank. The bank denied finding any irregularities involving its funds or customers.

A crowdfunding campaign launched to help locate the women raised nearly 300,000 shekels, or about $100,000. Organizers said the money would be returned following the discovery that the women had left voluntarily.

The dramatic case ended not with a rescue, but with investigators locating two people who, according to police accounts, had gone to extraordinary lengths to disappear.