Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has issued a statement on its investigation into the disappearance of Guram Dadianidze, a minor who went missing in Dusheti Municipality in 2014, saying investigators have so far identified no suspicious circumstances in the case.
The statement follows the recent circulation of a 28-second video on social media in which a voice can be heard pleading not to be abandoned. Dadianidze’s mother has said she believes the voice belongs to her son.
Interior Ministry says the person who recorded and uploaded the video was questioned on August 7. Investigators established that the footage was recorded at around 3:00 p.m. on June 11, 2014. However, based on statements given by people who were with Dadianidze, he disappeared at around 4:00 a.m. that same day.
The ministry said that on June 10, 2014, a group of 16 neighbors, including Dadianidze, traveled by minibus from Tbilisi’s Temka district to the village of Mleta in Dusheti Municipality for the Lomisoba religious festival.
Because of the difficult terrain, the group left the minibus in Mleta and continued to the Lomisa shrine on foot. After spending some time there, they began walking back at around 2:00 a.m.
Investigation says Dadianidze was walking with a relative when he stopped to rest on a rock. His relative and two neighbors, a father and son, reportedly saw him stop.
The ministry said the group’s vehicle was approximately 300–500 meters away. Dadianidze allegedly asked the others to continue, saying he would catch up with them. When he failed to appear after they had walked a short distance, one of the neighbors returned with a flashlight to look for him, but Dadianidze was no longer at the spot where he had last been seen.
Law enforcement officers were subsequently notified and joined the search. Dadianidze did not have a mobile phone with him, preventing investigators from using phone data to determine his subsequent location or movements.
Ministry says witness testimony indicated that Dadianidze had not been involved in any conflict during the journey or at the shrine, and investigators found no indication that anyone had a motive to seek revenge against him. No signs of violence were found at the location where he was last seen.
“All individuals who were with and traveled with Guram Dadianidze have been questioned, and all necessary investigative measures have been carried out. However, no suspicious circumstances have been identified,” the ministry said.
The Interior Ministry also rejected reports that no investigative or search measures had been conducted between 2014 and 2017, saying a missing-person case was opened by the Dusheti district police in 2014 and search measures were carried out to establish Dadianidze’s whereabouts.
The investigation remains ongoing, with more than 20 people questioned over the past month, according to the ministry.
The agency called on the public not to disseminate what it described as false or unverified information about the case.
Guram Dadianidze disappeared in June 2014 after visiting the Lomisa shrine with a group. His whereabouts have remained unknown since he was last seen while the group was descending from the shrine.
