Police release new photos of missing Washington boy

BELLEVUE, Wash. - After nearly two weeks of searching, police said Friday they are still stymied in their search for a missing Washington toddler and released new photos of the family in hopes of sparking the memory of someone who might have seen the boy.

The new photos of 2-year-old Sky Metawala show an older child - more of a toddler than a baby. The new photos of his mom, Julia Biryukova, are strikingly different from the ones she gave to police.

The photos no longer show the smiling, glamorous blond from her social media pages. The new pictures police say were captured from surveillance video show a woman with much darker hair, wearing a gray sweatshirt and looking somewhat haggard.

Bellevue Police Maj. Mike Johnson told a news conference they have gotten a few useful tips from members of the public and investigators are hoping the more recent photos will attract more calls to the tip line.

"Don't wonder whether or not your tip is relevant," Johnson said, urging people to let the police decide that.

About 1,200 tips have come in since Nov. 6, when Biryukova told police she left Sky alone in her car and went to get gas with her 4-year-old daughter. She said that when she came back about an hour later, Sky was gone.

Although investigators continue to pepper Biryukova's lawyers with questions, she seems to be even less cooperative with police than she was at the beginning of the search. Johnson said she wouldn't share more recent photos of her family.

When asked if there were legal grounds to arrest Biryukova and bring her in for questioning, Johnson said there probably were because of her actions on the morning of Sky's disappearance. When asked why she hadn't been brought in, he replied, "It's a tactical, strategic, legal decision."