George Makhniashvili, the brother of missing Toronto teen Mariam Makhniashvili, was reported missing
Mariam’s brother missing, family says
Published On Mon Nov 1 2010
George Makhniashvili, the brother of missing Toronto teen Mariam Makhniashvili, was reported missing Monday.
TARA WALTON/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO
Kate Allen Staff Reporter
George Makhniashvili, the brother of missing teen Mariam Makhniashvili, has also disappeared, his family says.
Their father, Vakhtang Makhniashvili, told the Star he last saw his 17-year-old son at 8:30 a.m. Monday before he left for school. “After that we, don’t know what happened,” he said, adding that his son never showed up to class.
The family called police at 5:30 p.m. Police at 53 Division said they were “still investigating.”
Makhniashvili said there was no reason George would run away and that he and his family had not been fighting.
George was the last to see his sister Mariam, who was 17 when she disappeared outside Forest Hill Collegiate in September 2009. Police were concerned since she had recently moved from Georgia, spoke little English and had not yet made friends.
Her backpack was later discovered, but it would be the police’s only clue in the case. Over a year later, police are still stumped.
Asked about George’s disappearance on CP24’s The Chief on Monday night, Police Chief Bill Blair said “there could be very, very many reasons for a 17-year-old boy to not come directly home from school.”
But, he also said, “This one, of course, draws more public concern - and ours as well.”
Blair also said the Makhniashvilis had notified media about their son before they notified police.