Face behind the flyer: The gentle life and cruel death of Melbourne’s ‘missing’ teenager

For six weeks, Isla Bell’s face was plastered on electricity poles, street lights and bus shelters in Melbourne’s north. She became the teen everyone knew as “missing” – but to her loved ones, she was so much more.

Bell, 19, was someone who felt everything deeply. She had an intense awareness and empathy for the world around her; from plants, to music, art, fashion and her family and friends, who she spoke to with a palpable attention and kindness.

With her long red hair and knowing smile, she thrived snorkelling among colourful fish on the Great Barrier Reef, dancing at music festivals of all genres, and sitting by her uncle in the mountains, teaching him about edible plants and weeds, having worked at a nursery.

“An amazing artist, permaculturalist, fashion designer and appreciator. She had the deepest empathy for all life forms,” her mother, Justine Spokes, told The Age.

“A plant and animal talker, she was also a loyal and trustworthy friend. Deeply spiritual, a free spirit and the kindest, most generous human.

“An exquisitely beautiful soul, it is an unspeakable torment to know that despite my daughter’s love for the world she felt the depth and breadth of its cruelty. I have two cherished daughters, one in the flesh and one in spirit, both live in my heart and walk by my side, always.”

Her uncle, Tom Hope, said Bell was a breath of fresh air – a 19-year-old with intelligence and courage beyond her years.

She had dreams of becoming a marine biologist and was vocal and passionate about social justice, climate change and environmental destruction – a passion she absorbed from her parents, who met campaigning for forests.

After she disappeared, her family and friends worked tirelessly to find her, setting up social media pages, blanketing Melbourne’s inner north with posters and continuously pleading with the public to track down the teenager. Hope said the commitment and love Bell’s family and friends poured into the search was magic.

They counted the days she was gone, and pleaded for her to come home.

“Isla Bell has been missing since October 4 and still has not been found,” her loved ones posted on the “Help us find Isla Bell” Facebook page.

The pleas became more urgent as the days went by. Isla’s 20th birthday came and went on October 22, with her mother standing up at a press conference and begging for her “deeply, widely loved” daughter to come home.

At 20 days, her loved ones said: “Our hearts are heavy, but we refuse to lose hope.”

Bell’s family hired a private investigator and, at 44 days, their worry intensified.

“It’s hard not to think the worst given the situation and the concerning circumstances in which she disappeared,” her loved ones said.

Bell’s body was found at a rubbish tip in Melbourne’s south-east, 46 days after her disappearance.

53-year-old St Kilda man, Marat Ganiev, has been charged with her murder, while 57-year-old Hampton man Eyal Yaffe has been charged with assisting murder.

Bell’s family were horrified and devastated by their loss. But they held close the memory of who Isla was in life: a brave young woman who stood up for what is right.

“It’s terrible and tragic how she died, but it’s important that we keep the focus on the fact that she lived, she’s loved, she’s precious to us and she’s precious to many,” Hope said.

“Last night, I had a dream that we found her. She was smiling, happy and delighted to see us.”

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