UNDERGROUND MYSTERIES — November 16, 2022

Irina Monastyrna, a Kyiv, Ukraine native, arrived to the United States at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York City, New York in 2002 with her then-husband, after winning the Diversity Visa lottery and obtaining her Green Card.  She subsequently got divorced from her husband and later got married to a man who was born in Russia whose first name is Vadim or Vladislav.  What was supposed to be a new adventure in a new country for a young, thriving woman turned into an unsolved mystery and a slew of unknowns for her family.

The last time Monastyrna’s family heard from her was on her 25th birthday, on March 22, 2005. She had called her parents to informed them that she had gotten married, but she did not state if her last name had changed. She also had not provided Vadim’s last name or the name of the Church at which the wedding occurred. It is presumed the wedding took place in or around Brooklyn, New York City, New York, as that is where she was when she phoned her parents the day of her birthday / wedding. Her address and place of employment at the time of her disappearance is unknown, but her family believes she was working at a nursing home in New York.

Eventually, the phone calls ceased, and Monastyrna’s family grew concerned.

Monastyrna’s family attempted to file a police report when she first went missing; however, authorities allegedly could not or would not create a missing persons report, citing that she was an adult and of sound mind. At the time, authorities believed that she simply may have been avoiding her family.

Days turned into weeks; weeks turned into months; and months turned into years, with the family having no correspondence from Monastyrna.

An only child from a Ukrainian family, Monastyrna loved her parents greatly and even took care of them. A close source with whom I connected states that it is completely out of Monastyrna’s character to abandon her family, as they were extremely tight-knit.  Monastyrna’s mother has passed away since her disappearance, never having known what happened to her daughter. Monastyrna’s father, Mykola Monastyrny, now 86 years old, is desperate for answers, and he is currently in New York City trying to search for her or any clues to her whereabouts.

Photo (above): Mykola Monastyrny, in NYC, NY, trying to piece together clues leading to her daughter, Irina Monastryna’s whereabouts.

Monastyrna is still an unreported missing person, but her family is still trying to file a missing persons report.

DNA was obtained from Monastyrna’s father by law enforcement in an attempt to compare her against unidentified remains. He has also tested with a public DNA database so that he can upload his DNA to Gedmatch and other sites used for forensic genealogy, in case his DNA matches with unidentified remains.

Because there is no missing persons report yet, Monastyrna’s case cannot be entered into NamUs, the national governmental database of missing people.

A close source to Monastyrna’s family who has extensively searched for clues to her whereabouts sent me a photo of her taken prior to her disappearance.  She also sent me a photo of her and Vadim / Vladislav, who may hold the key to locating Monastyrna. 

Please take a close look at his photo taken in 2005 to see if you recognize Monastyrna’s husband.  For reference, he may have had a Russian accent.  It is unknown if he spoke English at the time.  He came to the United States in about 2001 and had been living in or around Near York City in 2005.

Prior to Monastyrna’s disappearance, she also kept in touch with her cousins and several other loved ones.  A close source to Monastyrna told me that she has searched all New York City court records for a marriage certificate, to no avail.  The family believes the couple was wed at a Church with an African American pastor in or around Brooklyn on her birthday.  Monastyrna’s family and supporters are hoping to locate this pastor, but they do not know his name.  This close source also still has two of the phone numbers from which Monastyrna called her family. One of the numbers is connected with a man whose name is “Leon,” and this person states that Monastyrna had mentioned a man named Leonid.  The people who owned one of the phone numbers also met her at the airport when she arrived to the United States.

Born on March 22, 1980, Monastyrna can be described as a Caucasian female with Ukrainian / Jewish heritage, brown hair, and brown or hazel eyes.  She does not have a middle name, but her patronymic name is Mykolaevna.

If you think either Monastryna looks familiar to you or if you know her husband, please contact www.undergroundmysteries.com/contact.  Or, you may call your local authorities and cite this article for reference.