Blood traces found at Panama home being tested against missing Hamilton family DNA

Blood samples have been found at three locations in a home in Panama that investigators say may be connected to a missing Hamilton man and his family.

McMaster University graduate Ghussan Iqbal, 31, and his two children, Nousaybah, age two, and her brother Sallahudin Musa were reported missing from their home in Panama in mid-May.

Ghussan, his children and his wife lived in a small city called Changuinola in the province of Bocas del Toro.

The youngest child, seven-month-old Musa, was found in a river on May 31, and DNA evidence later confirmed his death.

According to information provided to CHCH News by Ghussan’s sister-in-law, Nagham, a Panamanian prosecutor conducted luminol testing at Ghussan’s home in October, uncovering traces of blood in three locations. DNA samples were later collected.

The family was told that those traces of blood would be run against DNA samples of Ghussan’s brother, Sulman, to identify if they belonged to Ghussan.

After over two months since collecting those samples, the family has yet to receive an update.

Nagham is sharing this information publicly now to request support from Global Affairs Canada and the family’s local MPs.

In May, Iqbal’s family told CHCH News that Ghussan has struggled with mental health issues and feared for the well-being of his children in the remote, jungle-like area where they live.

READ MORE: Hamilton family confirms baby missing in Panama found dead