Account
Jan 06, 2011
May 30, 2023
Aferdita
Gjergjaj
53
30
63 inches
65 inches
110 lbs
130 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
On February 26, 2001, 30-year-old Aferdita Gjergjaj, also known as Rita, vanished from Auburn Hills, Michigan. A native of Albania who moved to the United States in her early childhood, she was a mother of two and the manager of a clothing boutique in Troy, Michigan. That evening, she informed her sister she was heading to the Showcase Cinemas on Opdyke Road to meet her ex-husband, Binak "Kola" Gjergjaj, to discuss the custody of their children. Surveillance footage from the parking lot captured Aferdita arriving in her light blue Ford Escort. She then exited her vehicle, entered a second car, and sat inside it for about half an hour before the vehicle drove away with her still inside. Aferdita Gjergjaj has not been seen or heard from since. Concerns grew when Aferdita failed to show up for her job. Shortly after she was reported missing, her car was discovered in the cinema's parking lot. Inside the vehicle were her purse, cell phone, and an unused bullet from her handgun; the gun itself was missing. The investigation soon focused on her ex-husband, Binak, with whom she had a troubled history. The couple, who married in 1987 and separated in 1996, had a contentious relationship regarding the custody of their children. By 2001, Aferdita had not seen her children in three years and was actively seeking more access to them. It was alleged that Binak had threatened to kill her if she persisted in her efforts to gain more custody. Shortly after his ex-wife's disappearance, Binak Gjergjaj fled the United States to his native Kosovo, leaving his children behind. In the years that followed, law enforcement continued to view him as the primary suspect. In 2011, a warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with Aferdita's murder, and he was taken into custody in Kosovo. However, he was released after Kosovo refused to extradite him to the United States. Years later, in June 2019, Binak was arrested again in Kosovo for the same charge. Facing a greater likelihood of extradition, he took his own life in a jail bathroom before he could be returned to the U.S. to face trial. Although authorities believe he was responsible for her death and she has been declared legally dead, Aferdita's body has never been found. The case remains a painful and unresolved mystery for her loved ones, a story of a mother's fight to see her children that ended in tragedy. Foul play is strongly suspected in her disappearance.
Feb 26, 2001
Auburn Hills
Michigan
Oakland County
Auburn Hills
9532
Auburn Hills Police Department
Auburn Hills
Michigan
Oakland County
48326
1899 N. Squirrel Rd, Michigan
2483709444
Local
Law Enforcement
01-3335
Auburn Hills Police Department
Red/Auburn
Brown
Brown
06/28/2026
