Disappearance of Darya Bulba
Darya Bulba | |
|---|---|
| Ukrainian: Дар'я Бульба | |
| Born | September 25, 1995 Odesa, Ukraine |
| Disappeared | August 6, 2016 Shanghai, China |
| Status | Missing for 10 years and 23 days |
| Occupation | Model |
Darya Bulba (Ukrainian: Дар'я Бульба) was a Ukrainian model who disappeared on August 6, 2016, in Shanghai, China.[1][2] Local authorities have proposed several different hypotheses, including suicide and kidnapping, but have not reached a definitive conclusion.[3] Her whereabouts remain unknown.[4][5]
Background
Bulba was born in 1995 in Odesa, Ukraine. She studied law at the Odesa College of Hotel Management, where she also took modeling courses, vocal lessons, and learned to play guitar.[6][1][4] She also attended a local modeling school.
In 2013, Bulba began working as a professional model. A few years later, she began travelling throughout Europe, including Italy, Greece, and Turkey.[2][3][7] On April 7, 2016, she travelled to China to work under contract with the Shanghai-based BYS Model Agency.[1]
Disappearance
On August 5, 2016, Bulba spoke with her mother by telephone, and said that she might not be able to stay in frequent contact due to the cost of roaming charges. As a result, her family did not initially become concerned when they were unable to reach her, only beginning to question her absence around August 7.[8][9]
According to Bulba's family, her roommates said that she left the previous night to meet an unknown man and had not returned.[9][10] The last known footage of Bulba was recorded on surveillance cameras between 5 and 6 AM on August 6, 2016. The footage showed her listening to music and dancing near the Oriental Pearl Tower before she walked out of view and disappeared.[11][12]
Chinese police examined Bulba's phone and found that she had been receiving regular calls from unidentified numbers. Her friends reported that a stranger had repeatedly scheduled meetings with her at the hotel but never arrived.
Investigation
Bulba's relatives appealed to Interpol, local authorities, and the media for assistance. Her father contacted television channels across Ukraine seeking help in locating his daughter, but received no response. Chinese police suggested that Bulba might have been under the influence of alcohol or other substances and accidentally drowned in the nearby water.[8] However, search-and-rescue divers were unable to recover a body.[9]
As of January 2026, Bulba's disappearance remained unsolved.[8]
Influence
Bulba's case has been covered by journalists and online true crime influencers, who have proposed various theories including accidental drowning, kidnapping by criminal gangs, and human trafficking, although none have been substantiated.[9][13]
Ukrainian media have also reported on the case. One newspaper attempted to link Bulba's disappearance to the arrest of Hou Jianwen, a Chinese aerospace specialist who was accused of espionage. The newspaper alleged that Hou recruited young women as part of a honey trap operation, although there was no evidence to support this theory.[9]
References
- 1 2 3 Анна, Апалина. "Исчезнувшая модель: история Дарьи Бульбы, пропавшей в Шанхае средь бела дня". www.woman.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-05-02.
- 1 2 "26岁乌克兰模特失踪在上海街头,3年后社交账号却被登录,诡异！". yeeyi.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 2025-05-02.
- 1 2 "Мурашки по коже: эту девушку, пропавшую на глазах у сотен людей, ищут уже 7 лет". www.kinoafisha.info (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-05-02.
- 1 2 "Почти голливудский триллер: странная история пропавшей модели Дарьи Бульбы". novochag.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-05-02.
- ↑ "Родственники пропавшей в Шанхае украинки: "Перед исчезновением Даше поступали странные звонки"". kp.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-05-02.
- ↑ "消失了：光天化日之下消失在中国的达莉亚·布尔巴的故事". zhuanlan.zhihu.com.
- ↑ Глачева, Галина (2023-06-16). "Кто такая Дарья Бульба, исчезнувшая средь бела дня в Шанхае". Леди Mail (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-05-02.
- 1 2 3 Elizabeth, Rachel (2026-01-11). "Missing in Shanghai: The Mysterious Disappearance of Darya Bulba". Tales from the Underworld. Archived from the original on 2026-03-14. Retrieved 2026-06-11.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Украинская модель пропала в Шанхае при странных обстоятельствах". OBOZREVATEL NEWS (in Russian). 2016-12-27. Archived from the original on 2022-03-05. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
- ↑ Акимова, Елена. "«Ждал мужчина, который ее обожал»: участницы «Битвы экстрасенсов» — о таинственном исчезновении Дарьи Бульбы | WOMAN". www.woman.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-05-02.
- ↑ Акимова, Елена. "Ясновидящая о тайне исчезновения модели Дарьи Бульбы: «Она живет в гареме, у нее уже есть дети» | WOMAN". www.woman.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-05-02.
- ↑ Андреева, Лизавета (2025-04-14). "Исчезла как Ковальчук? Пропавшую модель Дарью Бульбу 9 лет ищут в Шанхае". AiF (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-05-02.
- ↑ Редакция, Старая (2021-08-03). "Не родись красивой: 9 моделей, которых погубила идеальная внешность". sova.today (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-05-02.