Marat Ganiev, Eyal Yaffe: Two men charged after remains found in search for missing Brunswick woman Isla Bell

Two men charged after the remains of a missing Melbourne teenager were found dumped at a waste management facility have been named in court.

Two men charged after human remains believed to be missing teenager Isla Bell were found in a Melbourne tip have been named in court.

Marat Ganiev, 53, and Eyal Yaffe, 57, appeared separately in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday after they were arrested in raids the day prior.

A third man, aged 63 and from Mulgrave, was released pending further inquiries, according to Victoria Police.

Mr Ganiev is accused of murdering Ms Bell on October 7 in St Kilda East, while Mr Yaffe has been charged with assisting an offender (murder).

Two men have been charged man remains were found in search for missing teenager, over a month after she was first reported missing.

Human remains, suspected to be the missing 19-year-old but yet to be formally identified, were discovered at a Dandenong waste management facility on Tuesday morning.

Family and friends of Ms Bell have plastered her photos of the missing woman across social media and Melbourne’s inner north over the past month and a half urging community assistance to locate her.

According to her family, Ms Bell last made contact with friends via social media on October 7 — the day she was allegedly murdered.

“Her conversation was abruptly stopped and her phone has not been on since, there have been no confirmed sightings since,” her family shared online.

Police say her last confirmed sighting was leaving her Brunswick home about 6pm on October 4.

Eyal Yaffe has been charged with assisting an offender (murder) and will apply for bail on Friday. Picture: Facebook.

During his brief court appearance, Mr Ganiev could be seen slumped over and rubbing his face as his lawyer, Adrian Lewin, noted he was prescribed methadone and had not received a dose in two days.

Mr Yaffe, the court was told, had intended to apply for bail but would instead seek to be freed at a hearing on Friday.

He was brought into court on Wednesday afternoon, smiling and nodding at a number of family members present as lawyer, Ian Hill KC, requested he be seen by a nurse for a bad back.

Details of how or why the teenager was allegedly killed have not been aired in court, however, according to Mr Ganiev’s charge sheet, police allege the St Kilda East man killed her in the same suburb on October 7.

Isla Bell, 19, was allegedly murdered in St Kilda East on October 7, 2024. Picture: Facebook.

Missing Persons Squad formally took over the investigation into the woman’s suspicious disappearance in late October.

Human remains, suspected to be Ms Bell but yet to be formally identified, were discovered in Dandenong on Tuesday morning, more than one month after the teenager was first reported missing.

Victoria Police confirmed to NewsWire the remains were located in a waste management facility.

Three men were arrested on Tuesday morning after detectives executed search warrants on two Bentleigh East and Mulgrave properties.

“Isla’s family have been notified and police will ensure a number of support services are in place,” a statement from police read.

Isla Bell was reported missing in early October. Picture: Facebook

Ms Bell was reported missing on October 10, just a few weeks shy of her 20th birthday.

Shortly after her disappearance, Isla’s mother shared a heartbreaking plea for her daughter to get in contact so they could organise the celebrations for her upcoming birthday.

“We’re looking forward to our reef trip for your birthday coming up,” she said online. “We’ve been trying to call you to book flights.”

Missing person posters have been shared online and on Melbourne’s streets. Picture: Facebook

Days later, still without any word from the teenager, the Melbourne mum shared another post, begging for the teenager’s return.

“Haven’t heard from you for a while now and miss you like crazy,” she said.

A Facebook group was also set up in the hopes of finding the teenager. “We need answers,” a post read.

“We need Isla home.”

One month after her disappearance, the teenager’s mother shared another impassioned plea for her missing daughter.

“My girl is still missing and dearly missed,” she said. “Please don’t forget her.”

Police have been given until February next year to prepare and serve their case on Mr Ganiev’s lawyers and he will return to court the following month.

Mr Yaffe will return to court on Friday.

Originally published as Marat Ganiev, Eyal Yaffe: Two men charged after remains found in search for missing Brunswick woman Isla Bell