Two men have appeared in court following the discovery of what are believed to be the remains of missing Brunswick woman Isla Bell at a Dandenong tip.
A brief of evidence submitted to the court alleges that Isla Bell was brutally killed inside Marat Ganiev's apartment and her body was transported around Melbourne in a fridge.
**What's next?**
Eyal Yaffe, charged with assisting Marat Ganiev, will apply for bail on Friday, while Ganiev remains in custody until March.
**Warning: this story contains distressing details.**
Nineteen-year-old Isla Bell was allegedly beaten to death in a Melbourne apartment, with the attack caught on CCTV. A preliminary brief of evidence was released by the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday, following filing hearings for Marat Ganiev, 53, and Eyal Yaffe, 57. Ganiev faces a murder charge, while Yaffe is charged with assisting an offender.
Police documents state that Ganiev admitted to transporting Ms. Bell’s remains but denied causing her death or assaulting her. The charges are unproven, and neither man has entered a plea at this stage.
Isla Bell was reported missing from her Brunswick home on October 4. The next day, police arrested three men after human remains were found at a tip in Dandenong.
According to the police remand summary, Ms. Bell met Ganiev and an associate, Miro Sol, at an apartment in St Kilda East on October 5. It is claimed that just after midnight on October 7, she sent a Snapchat message to a friend, saying she had found "the best Russian sugar daddy" who was treating her to gifts and had rescued her from "sex traffickers."
But soon after, her messages stopped, and police allege she was killed. At 12:43 AM, CCTV footage captured what appeared to be a fight inside Ganiev's apartment. Investigators observed Bell being struck, her head whipping around, and her falling to the ground, where Ganiev allegedly continued to assault her.
In the days following the incident, Ganiev reportedly cleaned the apartment extensively, and a fridge was moved in and out of the apartment. The fridge was allegedly transported to a house in Hampton, where neighbors reported a foul smell, attracting flies. The fridge was then moved to various locations around Melbourne, and police believe that Ganiev discarded a bag belonging to Ms. Bell.
Ganiev and Yaffe were arrested on Tuesday after the remains were discovered. It is also alleged that Yaffe was scheduled to fly to Bulgaria on Wednesday after purchasing a flight, having been interviewed by police. Yaffe is known to have connections with individuals involved in drug trafficking in Victoria.
Court documents reveal that police first attempted to contact Ganiev on October 19, after his details appeared in Bell’s phone records. The brief states that Ganiev initially denied knowing anything about the fridge's whereabouts but later admitted to transporting Bell’s remains after her death at his apartment, though he insisted he did not cause her death.