Hamilton family asks for help after man, two kids go missing in Panama

A Hamilton family is pleading for help after a man and his two kids suddenly disappeared from their home in Panama last week.

The man’s family says he has struggled with mental health issues, and they fear for the well being of the children in the jungle-like rural area.

It’s been one week since a 31-year-old man from Hamilton, Ghussan Iqbal, his two-year-old daughter, and seven-month-old son vanished from their home in the South American country of Panama.

“The investigation is being investigated as a potential abduction or kidnapping, but they are not ruling out any possibilities like foul play, or suicide,” said Nagham Azzam Iqbal, Iqbal’s sister-in-law.

Iqbal’s brother, Sulman, and his wife Nagham are currently in Panama helping with the daily ground searches.

Iqbal, a McMaster University graduate, has been living with his children and wife in a city called Changuinola, which is surrounded by farmland and jungle.

“Where he has been spotted is outside the city,” said Nagham. “That’s basically one road, surrounded by jungle, and remote indigenous communities that don’t even have electricity.”

The family says Iqbal has a history of mental health problems and was admitted to St. Joseph’s Mental Health Hospital for three weeks last year.

He has also gone missing on his own before.

“He gets psychotic episodes,” said Nagham, “he also tends to be very paranoid.”

The couple said Iqbal’s wife didn’t suspect anything out of the ordinary, before he went missing last week.

Local authorities and community members are helping with the search, but police there simply don’t have the resources.

“We haven’t had access to equipment, or search dogs – they just don’t have that in panama,” said Sulman.

Since the missing man is from the Hamilton Mountain, and his family still lives locally, the couple reached out to their MP Lisa Hepfner for help, as well as Global Affairs Canada, and Hamilton Police Services.

Hepfner said Canadian authorities can’t take over the investigation in Panama, but are involved with what’s happening.

“All I can say is that we have been concerned about this for several days now,” said Hepfner. “[We’re] regularly in touch with the family, regularly in touch with authorities on the ground, and we are doing everything possible that we can to help this family.”

As for the family, their concern is growing and time is ticking.

“We don’t believe he would intentionally hurt the children – he loves his children very much, but we are not sure about his ability to care for them,” said Nagham.

The couple have set up a gofundme page to help fund the search for Iqbal and his two children, which can be found here.

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