On August 6, 2016, a 21-year-old Ukrainian model named Darya Bulba disappeared in Shanghai, China, and was never seen or heard from again. To this day, no one knows what happened to her.
Darya Bulba was born on September 25, 1995, in Odesa, Ukraine. She was passionate about music and modeling. After high school, she studied at the Odesa College of Hotel Management while training to be a model.
In 2013, she started doing photo shoots for catalogs. She also traveled to several countries for modeling work, including Italy, Greece, and Turkey.
She moved to China in 2016 to work for a Shanghai-based modeling agency. She lived with other models in Shanghai and lived paycheck to paycheck.
She kept in regular contact with her family, updating them on her life. Her friends described her as warm, friendly, and sociable.
On August 6, 2016, Darya traveled for a photo shoot and met up with an unknown man, who may have been an acquaintance of hers. The day before, a severe storm had hit Shanghai.
She reassured her family of her safety and described her weekend work plans. She also told them that she would be out of contact the following day.
So, her family wasn’t concerned when she didn’t respond to them on August 6. However, they began to worry when they couldn’t reach her the next day, on August 7.
They contacted her roommates and were told that she never returned home. It was also revealed that Darya hadn’t left for work. She had plans to meet up with someone.
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After days of silence from Darya, her family contacted the Ukrainian consulate, which alerted the local police. Surveillance cameras recorded Darya walking near the Oriental Pearl Tower between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. She was listening to music and dancing.
She then boarded a public transport boat and disembarked on the other side. She was walking toward her home before turning a corner into one of the few areas not covered by surveillance.
That was the last known sighting of her. She was last seen wearing a pink dress and headphones and carrying a black bag. Her last online activity was on the morning of her disappearance.
The police checked trains and airports, confirming that Darya hadn’t left China. There was also no sign of her in hospitals or morgues.
When they investigated her phone, they found regular calls from unknown numbers. Her friends reported that a stranger would constantly schedule meetings with her at a hotel, but never showed up for them.
Authorities theorized that Darya may have been under the influence and had accidentally drowned since she was near a body of water at the time of her disappearance. She had a history of substance abuse.
Divers searched the nearby waterways, but no trace of her was found. Darya’s family does not believe she drowned, as no evidence has surfaced.
Investigators also suggested that if Darya were still alive, the millions of cameras would have detected her using facial recognition technology.
A decade later, the case of Darya’s disappearance remains unsolved. Many people online believe that Darya was kidnapped since Shanghai has a history of human trafficking.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
