In the quiet community of Kennewick, Washington, concern began to mount for 65-year-old Nabil Mohamed, and his new wife, Hifza Khan, 63, after they were last seen on September 22, 2023. Nabil, an agricultural and biological engineer, and his wife were active and loved members of the local Islamic Center of Tri-Cities, and their sudden silence was out of character. As days turned into weeks, the couple’s family grew increasingly worried.
Hifza's daughters, who lived out of state, were accustomed to constant communication with their mother and found the lack of contact deeply unsettling. Their attempts to reach the couple were unsuccessful, and the only person they could get in touch with was Nabil’s 26-year-old son, Zuhaib Mohamed, who lived with them.
For nearly a month, Zuhaib offered misleading information to concerned family members and friends about his father and stepmother's whereabouts. He fabricated stories, including that his father was out scouting for hunting locations. However, his conflicting statements and the continued silence from Nabil and Hifza raised suspicions. Family members alerted the Kennewick police, who began an investigation into the couple's disappearance. After learning that Zuhaib may be in the house, and with growing concern for the couple's welfare, detectives obtained a search warrant for the family's home on South Dawes Street. On October 17, 2023, after receiving no response from inside, the Tri-City Regional SWAT team was brought in to assist.
Upon entering the residence, authorities made a grim discovery. The bodies of Nabil Mohamed, Hifza Khan, and Zuhaib Mohamed were all found inside the home. Investigators later revealed that Nabil and Hifza had been deceased for several weeks. The Benton County Coroner's Office determined that Nabil and his wife both died from gunshot wounds to the head in what was ruled a double homicide. Zuhaib Mohamed’s death was determined to be a suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. While a definitive motive remains unclear, Hifza's daughters speculate that Zuhaib may have been unhappy about his father's recent remarriage. With the primary suspect deceased, no arrests were made in the case. The investigation concluded that it was a double homicide followed by a suicide.
