Missing Since: 2012-08-14 Location: Leesburg, Virginia
Leyla was last seen by her estranged husband, Matthew Ryan McCullagh, at her home in the 21000 block of Evergreen Mills Road in Leesburg, Virginia on August 14, 2012. She has never been heard from again. She worked as a belly dancer at the time of her disappearance, and had a four-year-old child. On the day of her disappearance, her cellular phone pinged off a tower several hours south of her home. Her phone, debit and credit cards haven’t had any activity since August 14. She was reported missing on August 30. In April 2012, four months before her disappearance, Leyla was charged with domestic assault against Matthew after they had a fight about alleged infidelity. She pleaded guilty and was placed on probation and ordered to attend counseling, but she disappeared afterwards and failed to follow up with the courts system. Police searched Matthew’s apartment in Herndon, Virginia after she vanished and seized several firearms and a substantial amount of ammunition. In May 2013, Matthew was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a machine gun; during the search of his apartment, he hid the .45 caliber Thompson submachine gun in his girlfriend’s car and told her he had to do so because it wasn’t registered. He later asked a friend to hold onto the gun for him, but the friend gave it to someone who turned it into the sheriff’s office. Foul play is suspected in Leyla’s disappearance; she had been seen with bruises on her arms before she went missing and she told people Matthew had assaulted her and had threatened to have her deported to her native Russia. Her case remains unsolved. Investigating Agency Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office 703-777-0445 Source Information Virginia State Police Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office NamUs NBC 4 Washington The Washington Examiner The Loundon Times-Mirror And Then They Were Gone Podcast Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated November 5, 2025; picture added.