Support the Yarmakov Family's Search for Tonya

Tonya Yarmakov, a young woman with autism and type-1 diabetes, went missing in Savanna Portage State Park on September 4th, 2024. Despite the best efforts of the Aitkin County Sheriff’s Department and dedicated search and rescue teams from around the state, Tonya still has not been found. At the time of this GoFundMe’s creation, she has been missing for seven days.

We know in our hearts that Tonya has not survived this ordeal, without the insulin she needed daily to control her diabetes. Still, Tonya’s family desperately wants her found. The Yarmakovs live nearly four hours from the park where Tonya went missing, and have been forced to find local accommodations while they continue their search. They have driven hundreds of miles, are far from home, and their time off work is running out.

This fundraiser has been created to support the Yarmakovs, parents Michelle and Rinat and brother Timur, while they continue the search for their beloved Tonya and deal with the aftermath of this tragedy. Funds gathered will be given to the family to help with expenses incurred during this terrible time: hotel rooms, gas, food. Proceeds from this fundraiser will also help the family pay for a celebration of life for Tonya, a cemetery plot, headstone and potential recovery costs.

Please join me in rallying around this wonderful family as they endure this heartbreak.

(About the organizer: I have been close with the Yarmakov family since I moved to Minnesota in 2014. Tonya’s older brother, Timur, is a dear friend of mine. I worked as one of Tonya’s personal care assistants back when she was in high school, and came to know and love her spunkiness, extroverted spirit, and her “uniqueness,” the word she used to describe her differences in a positive way. I am forever grateful to the Yarmakov family for welcoming me into their home and hearts and treating me like family. It is important to me to help connect them with the resources and support they need during this time.)