Police have reportedly opened a human trafficking case after Maria Kovalchuk, a missing Ukrainian OnlyFans model, was found on the side of a Dubai road with severe injuries.
Maria, 20, was missing for 10 days after informing friends that she was invited to a hotel party in Dubai on March 9, causing her loved ones to worry after missing a scheduled flight to Thailand, The Daily Mail previously reported. The Mirror US and The US Sun also reported her initial discovery.
The Lviv native was later discovered near a Dubai road on March 19 with multiple injuries, including a broken spine and several broken limbs. She was subsequently rushed to the hospital, The Daily Mail reported at the time, and required four surgeries. Her mother, Anna Kovalchuk, later told the outlet that she was expected to recover.
According to Dubai Police, investigators determined that the model sustained her injuries by entering a “restricted construction site” alone, where she fell “from a height.” Her loved ones, however, reportedly refuted the police’s account. At the time, Dubai Police could not be reached by PEOPLE for comment.
Now, the model is in stable condition, and Ukrainian police have opened a human trafficking case in relation to her disappearance, according to The Daily Mail.
The National Police of Ukraine — and specifically the main investigation department of the Lviv region, where Maria is from — has officially launched the case, the outlet reported.
Mary Lu/Instagram
Maria Kovalchuk
Ukraine police announced the case, along with a “pre-trial investigation” that is already underway, on March 29, according to The Daily Mail. No suspects have been named yet.
The National Police of Ukraine and Consulate of Ukraine in Dubai did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on March 29.
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Maria’s mother previously told The Daily Mail that she “cannot comment” on her daughter’s disappearance “because of the investigation.” It is not immediately clear whether she was referring to the investigation announced by Ukraine police or one being conducted by other officials.
Mary Lu/Instagram
Maria Kovalchuk
Prior to her disappearance, Maria reportedly told Anna that she was staying with two men who, according to several media reports, “introduced themselves as representatives of the modeling business,” according to The Daily Mail.
As for the hotel party she told friends she was invited to, it is not yet clear whether she actually attended. “There is an assumption that she went to a party,” Anna said, according to the outlet. “But the promoter who organized these parties did not see her.”
Anna also previously said that following her medical procedures, Maria “cannot speak,” per The Daily Mail. She also said that the model had no documents or phone with her after she was located.
People have since flooded Maria’s Instagram account, where she goes by “Mary Lu,” with well wishes. The model has not shared a post on the platform since February.
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