Chatham County, North Carolina, witnessed the arrest of Omar Matthew Ibrahim Drabick, 34, in relation to the discovery of his wife’s body in a lake. He faces charges including first-degree murder and concealment of an unnatural death. Hadeel Ghadhanfer Hikmat, also 34, was identified as the deceased found on August 29.
The arrest warrant discloses that Drabick might have killed Hikmat and thrown her body off a bridge into Jordan Lake, located in the vicinity of Raleigh. The circumstances that led to her death remain unclear, though accidental and self-inflicted causes have been ruled out. Fingerprint analysis was employed to confirm her identity.
Further information about a motive for the murder is still under wraps. Two search warrants were carried out on September 8, targeting the house shared by the couple in Raleigh, as well as another location Hikmat often went to.
Having moved from Iraq to the US the previous year, Hikmat’s disappearance was reported by her brother, Firas Hikmat. He had last been in contact with her on August 28.
Currently, Drabick is being held at the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center without bond, with his next court hearing set for September 29. This tragic event has raised alarms among Hikmat’s extensive family circle in Iraq.
