‘Disappeared’: Family of Ontario man, young daughter missing in Panama has ‘no idea’ what happened to their loved ones

Ghussan Iqbal and his two-year-old daughter Nousaybah have been missing in Panama for six months. (Supplied photos)

The family of a Canadian man and his young daughter who have been missing in Panama for six months say all they want is to bring their loved ones home.

On May 21, Hamilton, Ont. native Ghussan Iqbal, along with his seven-month-old son, Musa, and two-year-old daughter, Nousaybah, who is also a Canadian citizen, vanished from their residence in northwestern Panama’s rural Bocas del Toro province.

Iqbal, relatives say, left empty-handed, without his phone, wallet, money, or even food.

He was last seen with his children that day at around 6 a.m. and hasn’t been heard from or seen since, they said.

Weeks later, the Procuraduría General de la Nación, Panama’s Attorney General’s office, announced that the body of a baby boy had been found in the nearby Changuinola River. They confirmed on May 31 that DNA testing determined that the remains are those of Musa.

In a statement issued around that time, Panamanian authorities said the search for Nousaybah continues “without rest,” as does the quest to locate her father.

• READ MORE: Hamilton man, daughter missing in Panama; Infant son found dead

CP24 has made several unsuccessful attempts to contact the Procuraduría General de la Nación for an update on the investigation.

In the days following the disappearance of Iqbal and his children, the man’s brother, Sulman Iqbal and his wife, Nagham Azzam Iqbal, travelled to the central American nation to assist with the search efforts and gather information.

The couple stayed there for almost three weeks and before returning home retained a lawyer to act on their behalf and advocate for the search to continue.

‘No sense of urgency’

Since coming back to Canada, however, the Iqbals say the search for their loved ones has mostly stagnated and has become a major exercise in frustration, especially when it comes to obtaining information and support from Global Affairs Canada (GAC).

“We can only communicate with them through email and it takes days to respond. We don’t even reach out anymore because it’s not useful,” Nagham said, adding the federal department has made it very clear that if someone goes missing abroad, the onus is on that country to find them.

“It’s honestly very scary knowing that as a Canadian citizen you’re basically out of luck if something happens to you abroad,” Sulman added.

During a recent interview with CP24, the couple said overall people and government officials in Panama were kind and helpful when they were there, even issuing an Amber Alert.

And while they do still share details about the investigation with them, the Iqbals say investigators in Panama have few resources and are moving at a snail’s pace.

“In Panama, everything is a very slow process,” Sulman said, adding they’d really like the Canadian government to put some pressure on the authorities there to expedite the process.

They both told CP24 that bureaucracy and delays are unending, especially when it comes to getting forensic test results.

“We just feel like there’s no sense of urgency for this case, no thorough investigation,” Nagham said, adding they’ve since learned that what they understood to be true about the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of their brother and his two young children is, in fact, far from it.

Nagham and Sulman say they were told by Ghussan’s wife that he “ran away” to the Chinguinola River with his two kids, behaviour they allege was inferred to be precipitated by the state of his mental health.

Iqbal’s relatives confirmed to CP24 that while he lived with some mental health issues, Ghussan had spoken with his older brother and his children on video chat just days prior to his disappearance and they saw no signs of any kind of psychosis or concerning behaviour. Two days later, however, he left his home with both of his kids and has not been heard from since, they said.

“The sequence of events kind of unravelled once we arrived there,” Nagham told CP24 during a recent interview, adding they’ve seen no surveillance footage of Ghussan leaving with his kids.

“(Ghussan and his children) literally disappeared off the face of the earth.”

The Iqbals say they just can’t imagine how their brother would navigate the mountainous, treacherous jungle terrain in that region with two little kids in tow.

“He had very little wilderness or survival experience,” Nagham said, adding they now strongly suspect that foul play may have occurred as baby Musa was found exactly where Ghussan’s wife said he would be.

‘No proper leads’

Sulman said they headed home from Panama with “no real answers.”

“Nothing was adding up to us then and it’s still not adding up. … Literally any theory is possible at this point. We have no idea what happened, no proper leads,” he said, adding it has become clear to them that as they learn more and more about the disappearance that the so-called ‘ran-away theory’ doesn’t appear to hold water.

Nagham added that when she and her husband arrived in Panama they were advised by the police to not trust Ghussan’s wife’s family and quickly found out that advice was warranted as details they were told by his wife and her family about what occurred didn’t make sense and was often changing and inconsistent.

They also say that the wife wasn’t who she purported to be and had at least four identities, lied about her education and ethnic background, and was even seen dressing in different ways from very modestly to wearing more revealing clothing.

To complicate matters further, shortly after the Iqbals left Panama, violent pension reform protests broke out in Bocas des Toro, which is home to several large banana plantations, resulting in the government there declaring a state of emergency.

The political unrest has since simmered down in that part of Panama and the missing persons investigation continues.

Family holding out hope

Nagham said one of the saddest parts of this whole ordeal has been coming to the realization that their children likely won’t grow up with their cousins.

“It’s just really hard to think about that,” she shared.

“Of course, we will always hold out hope until there is definite evidence otherwise. … It’s just very hard to believe that everything’s okay. If they’re alive, they’re not living in a dignified way.”

Sulman said he and his family carry a measure of guilt, wondering if they could have done more to keep Ghussan and his children here in Canada and protect and support them.

Iqbal, a McMaster University graduate, had stayed in Hamilton as recently as the summer of 2024 but relocated to Panama about a year ago with his wife, who is from there, his relatives said.

Sulman added that it’s hard to find any kind of closure when there are no real answers, even if the outcome isn’t what they had hoped and prayed for.

“We haven’t even been able to start the process of grieving,” he shared.

“The reality is we may never really get the full story as to what happened to my brother and niece, but we’re still holding out hope. We’re not giving up until we hear otherwise.”

Safety, security of Canadians abroad a ‘top priority’: GAC

In a written statement, GAC reiterated that it is “aware of the case involving a Canadian citizen and two minor children in Panama.”

“Canada is deeply saddened by the death of one of the minor children and our thoughts are with the family,” spokesperson Thida Ith wrote in an email to CP24.

The federal government department went on to say that consular officials are “actively engaged with local authorities and are providing consular assistance to the family,” adding no further information can be disclosed due to privacy considerations.

GAC said the safety and security of Canadian citizens abroad is a “top priority” for the Government of Canada, noting that local law enforcement is responsible for investigating reports of missing persons in their jurisdiction.

Additional information on consular assistance is available online in the event a Canadian goes missing abroad, GAC said.

CP24 has also contacted Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand as well as Hamilton Mountain MP Lisa Hepfner, who represents the riding where Iqbal’s family lives, but has not heard back.

Hepfner previously said she became aware of the situation in Panama after one of Iqbal’s family members, who lives in her riding and whom she’s known for several years, reached out to her for help.

“I immediately began working with Global Affairs Canada to resolve the situation and remain in close contact with the family. I am not at liberty to disclose more due to privacy considerations,” the MP wrote in a May 2025 email to CP24.

Anyone in Canada or Panama who has been in touch with Iqbal or has information about this missing persons’ investigation is urged to come forward.