Later, investigators would watch those few seconds hundreds of times.
They would examine her movements, the direction of her gaze, the shadowed trail behind her, and even the final moment when the green fabric of her backpack vanished from view.
But the footage revealed nothing unusual.
No stranger followed her.
No suspicious vehicle appeared.
No visible danger waited along the trail.
A young woman had entered the mountains.
And somehow, she had disappeared.
The Night That Changed Everything
Mahmoud began worrying shortly after sunset.
At first, he tried to reassure himself.
Perhaps Layan had found an unusual plant and lost track of time. Perhaps her phone battery had died. Perhaps she had taken a longer route back to her car.
He called her at 6:42 p.m.
The call went unanswered.
He called again ten minutes later.
This time, the phone appeared to be switched off or outside network coverage.
He left a message.
