Parents of missing Washington boy had been cited before

Published 11:33 am Monday, November 7, 2011

SEATTLE — A Washington state woman who told police her toddler disappeared when she left him alone in a car had previously been cited for leaving a child unattended in a vehicle.

The FBI joined investigators in Bellevue as they spent a second day looking for 2-year-old Sky Metalwala.

His mother, Julia Biryukova, says the boy disappeared Sunday when she left him alone in an unlocked car after it ran out of gas. A police spokeswoman says she told investigators that she and her 4-year-old child walked a mile to a gas station.

In 2009, Redmond police cited Biryukova and her husband, Solomon Metalwala, for leaving a child unattended in a vehicle. The case was dismissed after they agreed to probation, community service and a 10-week parenting class.