In the quiet city of Kennewick, Washington, concern began to mount for 63-year-old Hifza Khan in the fall of 2023. A retired esthetician who had recently remarried and moved from California, Hifza was known for being in constant contact with her daughters. When those calls and texts abruptly stopped on September 21, her daughters, living in Canada and California, knew something was wrong. Days turned into weeks with no word from Hifza or her new husband, 65-year-old Nabil Mohamed.
The only person they could occasionally reach was Nabil's 26-year-old son, Zuhaib Mohamed, who lived with the couple.
For nearly a month, Zuhaib reportedly offered a series of misleading explanations to Hifza's daughters, his own sister, and concerned neighbors about the couple's whereabouts. As their worry grew, Hifza's daughters repeatedly contacted the Kennewick police, pleading with them to check on the couple. Officers went to the home on Dawes Street on multiple occasions but received no answer at the door. Zuhaib was uncooperative and resisted any attempts by law enforcement to investigate further. The situation became increasingly tense as all signs pointed to something being terribly wrong inside the house.
Finally, on October 17, 2023, after gathering enough evidence to obtain a search warrant, Kennewick police, with the assistance of the Tri-City Regional SWAT team, forced entry into the residence. Inside, they made a tragic discovery. The bodies of Hifza Khan, Nabil Mohamed, and Zuhaib Mohamed were all found within the home. Investigators believe the couple had been deceased for several weeks. The Benton County Coroner's Office later confirmed that Hifza Khan and Nabil Mohamed both died from gunshot wounds to the head.
The investigation concluded that the incident was a double homicide and a suicide. Authorities believe that Zuhaib Mohamed shot and killed his father and his stepmother, Hifza Khan, before taking his own life. As the primary suspect was also deceased, no arrests were made in the case. While the official motive remains unconfirmed by police, Hifza's daughters have speculated that Zuhaib may not have approved of his father's remarriage. The devastating event left a community in shock and a family grappling with an immense and sudden loss.
