Aferdita Gjergjaj Missing Person Case

Jan 06, 2011

May 30, 2023

Aferdita

Gjergjaj

55

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

07/16/2026