This case gathered a lot of attention and continues to do so. She emigrated to Canada from Georgia (the country, not the US state) in June 2009 and by September she was gone. Her English was poor and she hardly knew anyone in the area.
Now, her dad's in jail for assault. Nice one dad, keeping the family together in their time of need... I know he's been under a helluva lot of stress, but that's no excuse.
http://www.thestar.com/news/mariam/a...avated-assault
The brother ran away in November 2010 for a day, leading everyone to believe that he was missing as well. The father distraught and delusional went to the neighbor's house and stabbed them thinking they had something to do with the disappearance of both his children. Obviously not the right way of going about things, but I can only imagine the stress that he was under at the time.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-...50753154947689
Links to the four GIANT threads about this on websleuths... too much for me to get through.
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/tag...+makhniashvili
5th:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sho...40#post4724540
6th:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=114499
7th:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sho...66#post5879266
No new information. Seems as if they were exploring a possible political connection because there was a large population of Russian students at the school she was to attend, and she had only recently come from Georgia.
I hope they do find her, but I can't imagine after all this time finding a happy ending. She could barely speak English, had no friends, no cell phone and no money at the time of her disappearance. How sad that she only attended school in her new life for 5 days and that was it, after having escaped their war torn country to begin with.
Originally Posted by ZoMyGoddess!
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12...knife-attacks/
Father of missing Mariam Makhniashvili sentenced to six years in prison for knife attacks
Megan O'Toole Dec 8, 2011 – 11:24 AM ET | Last Updated: Dec 8, 2011 6:19 PM ET
Vakhtang Makhniashvili speaks to reporters in September 2009 following the disappearance of his daughter Mariam.
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The strange saga of missing teenager Mariam Makhniashvili took another twist Thursday, as police probed a potential sighting of the girl on the same day her father was sentenced to six years in prison for a series of violent knife attacks.
Having just learned that morning of the new lead in his daughter’s case, Vakhtang Makhniashvili, wearing a grey suit that matched his hair, sat hunched in the prisoner’s box as Justice Rebecca Rutherford delivered her ruling.
“This is a very sad case that has had serious consequences for many,” Judge Rutherford noted in her 18-page sentencing decision. “It is a case where a mentally ill man suffered a horrific event in his life and subsequently made decisions that led to equally horrific consequences. Mr. Makhniashvili is living every parent’s nightmare… Unfortunately [he] chose to deal with the ordeal alone.”
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Makhniashvili’s wife unwavering in her support
‘I realize how much pain and trouble I have caused,’ Makhniashvili tells court
Makhniashvili pleaded guilty in May to three counts of aggravated assault in the stabbing of three people last year, including a neighbour he mistakenly believed was involved in his daughter’s 2009 disappearance and a Toronto couple who bailed him out of jail.
Makhniashvili stabbed neighbour Sean Ure in the abdomen “while screaming about his missing daughter” in May 2010, the court heard. David and Delores Langer posted Makhniashvili’s bail in that incident, but ceased acting as his sureties after he failed to abide by household rules. After being bailed out again, this time by his wife, Makhniashvili attacked the Langers, stabbing Mr. Langer in the abdomen and slashing Ms. Langer’s arm, apparently convinced they had something to do with an unfavourable newspaper article.
A pair of psychiatric reports entered as evidence found Makhniashvili likely suffered from delusional disorder, a major mental illness characterized, in his case, by delusions of persecution. The disorder appeared to have been triggered by the loss of his daughter, whose disappearance two years ago sparked a 6,000-home canvass of their Forest Hill neighbourhood.
According to his wife, Lela Tabidze, Makhniashvili became “completely consumed” with finding Mariam.
“[He] spent the majority of his time searching missing persons websites on the Internet and most, if not all, of his conversations were about finding their daughter,” Judge Rutherford noted, citing evidence from Ms. Tabidze. “Mr. Makhniashvili, on his own initiative, walked through ravines while armed with a knife searching for his daughter.”
With pretrial custody taken into account, Makhniashvili has four years and 11 months left to serve, though his lawyer said he could be out on parole in a fraction of that time.
“He wants to get better and stay better,” defence lawyer Calvin Barry said outside court, noting his client will continue to work on his psychiatric issues with prison doctors.
Ms. Langer, who attended the sentencing, said she had empathy for Makhniashvili’s circumstances, but the incident seriously damaged her ability to trust other people.
“I will never ever forget the scream that came out of my husband. I hear it constantly, daily,” said Ms. Langer, who still has a large scar on her wrist where the knife went in and remains on medication for the pain. “I live with flashbacks, nightmares. I feel the blood running down my arm.”
Coinciding with Makhniashvili’s sentencing, police issued a news release Thursday morning saying they were reviewing surveillance footage linked to a recent tip in Mariam’s case — the latest among hundreds of sightings over the years, including a much-publicized, but ultimately false, lead that she was in Alberta selling dream catchers.
The recent potential sighting was of an apparently homeless girl who resembled Mariam at a low-rise apartment building in the area of Victoria Park and St. Clair Avenue, Detective Sergeant Dan Nealon said.
“We are taking it seriously enough to try to get as much surveillance video out of this location as possible,” Det. Sgt. Nealon said. “There’s nothing to suggest that it’s confirmed that this is Mariam, but at the same time we can’t dismiss it 100%.”
Does the father have an alibi for when his daughter went missing?
This is my first time posting, but I just wanted to respond that her body has been found. They say it may have been a suicide.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/03...olice-confirm/
Wow, she was found 3 years later??
The conclusion of this super bothers me for some reason. Not that the father had any right to violently attack anyone, but the stress of her disappearance seemed to have pushed him over the edge. How sad that she very likely committed suicide, left no note or indication of what happened to her and because of this destroyed so many other lives in the process. Ugh. A perfect example of how selfish suicide really can be. I understand people are desperate and think the world is better off without them in it, but it is really rough to see all of the destruction left behind.
I think it leaves more destruction than anyone can ever realize.
This!I think it leaves more destruction than anyone can ever realize.
The cop that saidHow odd though to not be found for 3 years. And if they have camera's that ought to be interesting if they captured that or someone pushing her when it happened, but never took notice.He said the case was a difficult one for police.
RIP Mariam
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