CANADA Canada - Nadia Atwi, 32, Edmonton, AB, 8 Dec 2017
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Canada's Missing | Case details
"Case reference: 2017072253
On December 8, 2017, Nadia Atwi was seen for the last time in Edmonton at approximately 6:30 in the morning. Her abandoned vehicle was located in Rundle Park, Edmonton later the same day."
Canada's Missing | Case details
"Case reference: 2017072253
On December 8, 2017, Nadia Atwi was seen for the last time in Edmonton at approximately 6:30 in the morning. Her abandoned vehicle was located in Rundle Park, Edmonton later the same day."
- Aliases
ATWI, Nadiq
Missing since
December 8, 2017
Year of birth
1985
Age at disappearance
32
Gardener1850
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Unidentified remains found: CANADA - CANADA - Bone found by dog, Edmonton, Sept 2019
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The 3rd anniversary of her missing date just passed. I feel so awful for her parents. In the video though, very suspicious mention of her husband.
Third anniversary of kindergarten teacher's disappearance
Third anniversary of kindergarten teacher's disappearance
Thanks for the link, so the husband not only took the son, but says if Nadia is located he will divorce her?!
Family of missing Edmonton teacher pleads with her to contact them: ‘I hope that you are safe’
Nadia Atwi was last seen at about 6:30 a.m. Friday in the area of 48 Street and 146 Avenue. She is five-foot-eight and weighs between 170 and 180 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes and was last known to be wearing dark clothes. She could be wearing a hijab. She may also be missing one or more shoes. Supplied
Anna Maria Tremonti memoir, world news weekly and more announced for CBC Podcasts' winter line-up | CBC Radio
''The Next Call: The Case of Nadia Atwi
Releasing February 8, 2022.
The Next Call is an investigative podcast series from David Ridgen, who also created and hosts Someone Knows Something. (Ben Shannon/CBC, David Ridgen)
The Next Call returns for a third season, with host David Ridgen (Someone Knows Something) investigating the disappearance of Nadia Atwi, a young kindergarten teacher who went missing in Edmonton in 2017. Almost four years after her mysterious disappearance there have been no signs of Nadia, despite her family's continued search. Community speculation points to her husband, who police seem to have cleared. Produced by Hadeel Abdel-Nabi and Cesil Fernandes. ''
Searching for Nadia Atwi: 4th anniversary of Edmonton school teacher’s disappearance - YouTube
''The Next Call: The Case of Nadia Atwi
Releasing February 8, 2022.
The Next Call is an investigative podcast series from David Ridgen, who also created and hosts Someone Knows Something. (Ben Shannon/CBC, David Ridgen)
The Next Call returns for a third season, with host David Ridgen (Someone Knows Something) investigating the disappearance of Nadia Atwi, a young kindergarten teacher who went missing in Edmonton in 2017. Almost four years after her mysterious disappearance there have been no signs of Nadia, despite her family's continued search. Community speculation points to her husband, who police seem to have cleared. Produced by Hadeel Abdel-Nabi and Cesil Fernandes. ''
Searching for Nadia Atwi: 4th anniversary of Edmonton school teacher’s disappearance - YouTube
Feb 8 2022
The case of Nadia Atwi: Episode 1 | The Next Call with David Ridgen | CBC Podcasts | CBC Listen
Published: Feb. 8, 2022
“Where are you?”: On the morning of December 8, 2017, Salwa Atwi arrives at her daughter Nadia’s home for their regular carpool. Nadia doesn’t come outside. Four years later, there is still no sign of her.''
The case of Nadia Atwi: Episode 1 | The Next Call with David Ridgen | CBC Podcasts | CBC Listen
Published: Feb. 8, 2022
“Where are you?”: On the morning of December 8, 2017, Salwa Atwi arrives at her daughter Nadia’s home for their regular carpool. Nadia doesn’t come outside. Four years later, there is still no sign of her.''
Is anyone listening to the podcast? So far so good. David Ridgen is really good at getting info out of people. There's some new information that was never released in the media (namely that there was a dashcam in her car...), and interviewing people that the police never even spoke to.
This is just my opinion but this case reminds me of poor Elana Fric, although she was found. MOO.
I'm really worried that the second LE heard "bipolar" they rubber stamped and filed this away without doing a full investigation.
This is just my opinion but this case reminds me of poor Elana Fric, although she was found. MOO.
I'm really worried that the second LE heard "bipolar" they rubber stamped and filed this away without doing a full investigation.
Nadia Atwi - Bing images
"TRANSCRIPT: The Next Call, The Case of Nadia Atwi, E1 “Where are you?”
Episode description: On the morning of December 8, 2017, Salwa Atwi arrives at her daughter Nadia’s home for their regular carpool. Nadia doesn’t come outside. Four years later, there is still no sign of her.
ALI FNEICH: [CLIP] Just want to tell her that I love her, that I'm waiting for her, and her son are waiting her as well.
SALWA ATWI: Hello?
DAVID RIDGEN: Hi, Salwa. It's David Ridgen here.
SALWA ATWI: Yes, hi, David. How are you?
DAVID RIDGEN: I'm good. Do you have time now? Can we talk?
SALWA ATWI: Yes, yes, I do.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] This is Salwa Atwi. She’s speaking to me from Edmonton, Alberta. It’s been over four years since she last saw her daughter, Nadia in December of 2017. The best place to start in any case is with a family member. They can supply the best character and background about their loved one, and also valuable case information and investigative guidance. As with all cases where no body has been found, the question of what actually happened is more difficult to answer, and the unknown of it can be much more painful to live with.
SALWA ATWI: You know, I was at my lowest moment because I know her case is still open, but I don't know what to do anymore. In our culture, it's not nice to talk about your life and stuff and this never happened before. Because we're originally from Lebanon. So, but I think it's about time. I should do it. [Somber music swells] I should do it. [Long pause]...I'm going to do my best to tell the story. But I hope you'll understand, because she had a boy who is five-years-old. And as a grandma, as a parent, as a teacher, I'm always careful because I don't want to hurt... I don't want to do anything that will cause harm to that little boy.
DAVID RIDGEN: Yeah, I understand. What's the little boy's name?
SALWA ATWI: Muhammad.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] Muhammad was two-years-old at the time of Nadia’s disappearance.
DAVID RIDGEN: Ok, so maybe tell me a little bit more about Nadia.
SALWA ATWI: Ok. Nadia is my oldest child. She had a teaching degree. She graduated from the University of Alberta, and she didn't work as a teacher until 2017. She got a chance at a school, like a private school. Twenty-seventeen, July of that year, I did retire. So as a mother, I thought it would be good for both of us, I’ll help her.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] Salwa and Nadia both taught at Al-Baqir Academy, a Shia Islamic school in the southwest quadrant of Edmonton. The school was about a 40-minute drive away from Nadia’s place, so carpooling was part of their lives.
SALWA ATWI: So we were working together. And her husband used to work out of town. So we used to carpool. When her husband needed the car, we used our car. I drive from my home to Nadia's house, which is only five to six minutes away. She used to message me in the morning, saying, “Mom, can you come and pick me up?” Like, “Today I'm driving. I will pick you up.”
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] The last time Salwa says she saw Nadia was the evening of December 7th. They had just completed the Islamic sunset prayer with the man who was the Imam and principal of their school.
SALWA ATWI: The last time I saw Nadia, it was in that evening because we drove and it was around 5:00, 5:30, and I said “goodbye.” She looked kind of quiet and she said, “Mom, come for coffee.” But I said, “Oh, it's okay, we're tired. I'll see you tomorrow.” And in the morning, she didn't message me, so I was a little bit later than usual, but I figured because her husband is in town, I should be taking my car. I drove to her house, and the light was on. I called a few times and nobody answered.
DAVID RIDGEN: So from outside of the house you called.
SALWA ATWI: Yeah.
DAVID RIDGEN: Okay, so what time was this in the morning about?
SALWA ATWI: It was...about 7:24, 7:24.
DAVID RIDGEN: And is this December 8th?
SALWA ATWI: Yeah, December 8th.
SALWA ATWI: That morning one of the neighbours had a surveillance camera. You could see my car coming at 7:24, and I left maybe 7:28.
DAVID RIDGEN: When you were there at the house in the morning, did you see Nadia's car?
SALWA ATWI: Uh no, because the garage was closed.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] Because of the way the neighbour’s camera is situated in relation to Nadia’s home, a clear view of their garage, and therefore the car pulling away is not possible.
SALWA ATWI: So I knocked the door and her husband came down and he tried to close the door in my face.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] Salwa refers here to Nadia’s husband, whose name is Ali. Ali Fneich is in his mid-30s, and has held jobs as an apprentice electrician and in transportation logistics in recent years. Salwa says they've always had a somewhat strained relationship.
SALWA ATWI: I pushed the door and I said “I'm not here to beg. Where is Nadia?” So he closed the door. And I waited in the car. I thought Nadia will come out. But she didn't come out, so I went back and I knocked, and it was running late because we need about 45, 40 minutes in the morning to reach the school where we are at.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] She also says that when she walked back to knock at the door a second time…it was open.
SALWA ATWI: So I came back to the door and it was open. So I stepped and I said, “Where is Nadia?” Her husband wasn't pleasant. He wasn't respectful at all. He shouted at me and he said, “She's not here!” He started yelling, which really upset me because I didn't understand why. So I went back to the car and I called my husband and I said, “If Nadia comes to pick me up, tell her I drove to school.” I didn't know what happened. Like, I didn't know Nadia's not there...I didn't know... if I go back, I would react differently, but I didn't know she's going to be missing. I thought maybe she went to pick me up. So I went all the way to school. And I stayed at school that day, I wasn't comfortable at all because I called Nadia twice and I sent her messages. It's still on my WhatsApp, by the way. The kids shouted, “We miss you, Nadia.”
[Salwa’s WhatsApp audio message to Nadia plays]
NADIA’S STUDENTS: [Children shouting in unison] I miss you Nadia!
SALWA ATWI: [Quietly] Where are you?
NADIA’S STUDENTS: [Children shouting in unison] Where are you?
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] I ask Salwa what happened after she arrived at the school on the morning that Nadia disappeared. She focuses on the timing of when Nadia was reported missing.
SALWA ATWI: It was around 9:50, but no answer. So I stayed at school, even though the principal said, “If you need the help,..” I said, “No, it's Okay, I'll be Okay.” And at 2, 2:20 or something, it was recess time, the principal came and he said “I was approached by Ali and he said he reported her missing to the police.”
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] I’ll be looking at the timing of when Nadia being missing was reported to police, and by whom, later. But Salwa says Ali came to the school looking for her that day at some point, perhaps around noon.
SALWA ATWI: Ali drove to the school. He didn't talk to me. He just went upstairs and told them “Where is Nadia?” And one of the teachers said, “Nadia didn't come today.” And…uh…because he needed the car. So it was too late for me to call the substitute. And still, I didn't take it seriously.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] A musician friend of Ali’s named Jihad apparently drove him to the school that day. I’ll have to be sure to try talking to him to see what he might remember about that.
DAVID RIDGEN: Okay. Okay, so he came to the school. He came to the school, he says, because he was looking for the car and discovered that Nadia wasn't there.
SALWA ATWI: Yeah.
DAVID RIDGEN: Okay, and then you say that Ali went and reported her missing to the police that same day?
SALWA ATWI: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, like, I blame myself. If I had known Nadia disappeared I would have went home. I would have went looking for her. But unfortunately, like maybe nobody thought it was serious.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] I want to speak with the principal about his version of what Ali said that day. And I’ll also have to reach out to police, and Ali himself. I ask Salwa when Nadia’s car was found on the day she disappeared. Originally it had been reported in the media to have been found at 12:30 PM, but Salwa says that was a misunderstanding and that Nadia’s car was actually found later in the afternoon, at Rundle Park in Edmonton.
SALWA ATWI: The car was seen by somebody walking in Rundle Park. And reported to the police around 4:00. So that's when they knew Nadia is not there. Because her car was in a ditch like in Rundle Park close to the exit of that park, and I didn't see it, we didn't see it, but they said there was a phone in the car and one shoe outside of that car.
DAVID RIDGEN: Okay…
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] Nadia’s car was found, overturned wedged into thick December bushes just off the roadside in Edmonton’s Rundle Park – a vast public green space cradled by the North Saskatchewan River. About a 15-minute drive from Nadia and Ali’s house.
SALWA ATWI: We were told that she was not able to leave from the driver's side. She had to leave from the passenger side.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] Salwa says that a dark-coloured hijab was found in the car. Normally this would be something she would put on at home and that would not easily come off on its own. But it is also possible that Nadia kept an extra one in the car. Also found in her car, a cell phone. A single shoe was reportedly found outside of the car that I cannot confirm was Nadia’s. Nadia herself, nowhere in sight. Not even discernible footprints in the light snow. It was about minus six degrees Celsius that morning, warming up to one degree by the afternoon.
DAVID RIDGEN: Okay, and did police ever tell you how long they think the car had been there? Because it was in a ditch and it would have been noticeable, I imagine, or maybe it was in a place...
SALWA ATWI: See, that's what I mean. That's what I mean. We had so many questions and the detective tried to answer them. But until now, it doesn't make sense…
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] The amount of time the car was in Rundle Park is of crucial importance. But it's not an answer that's immediately apparent... I turn the conversation back to Ali’s relationship with the family.
DAVID RIDGEN: Okay, and where did Ali work? Where was his place of work? You said he worked out of town.
SALWA ATWI: He used to work in Yellowknife. Ali didn't have a good relationship with me and then her brothers. And then before she disappeared, he was not talking to any of us. So there was no communication…
DAVID RIDGEN: Was there ever any explanation for his behaviour towards you or the rest of the family?
SALWA ATWI: He told my son, “Even though your sister is missing, I can't go to your house because we have bad blood.”
DAVID RIDGEN: And when was the last time you communicated with Ali?
SALWA ATWI: I had to see him a few other times when I used to see his boy — Nadia's boy. But unfortunately we had to go to court and to get permission for only three hours, myself and my husband, only the grandparents because the judge said, like it's better to protect that little boy from adults.
DAVID RIDGEN: Right. Okay.
SALWA ATWI: So it was yes, there was a court order and it was revisited a few times.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] In March 2018 Ali initiated a protection order against Salwa and others because he alleged they were harassing him about Nadia’s case. He told the Court he was “fearful” Nadia’s parents thought he had something to do with her disappearance. One of the claims Ali makes in the order is that he “received calls,” suggesting that, “they were going to kill me” and that persons are “harassing me on social media and slandering me.” And finally, Ali writes in apparent connection to Nadia’s family seeking visits with their son Muhammad, “I think they are watching my home to know when I will be away.” And in a sworn affidavit regarding the visitation rights of Muhammad’s maternal grandparents and referring to Nadia’s disappearance, Ali swears he had “nothing to do with it.” After Nadia disappeared, Ali and Muhammed continued to live in the same house they had bought in July 2017.
SALWA ATWI: Yeah, they bought the house and they moved into the house in July. She disappeared in December. And Ali, I think, stayed in it for…recently the house is for sale…
DAVID RIDGEN: Okay, hang on, sorry. Hang on one second, one second.
SALWA ATWI: Yes.
DAVID RIDGEN: Sorry, I just have my son talking in the background, and I can't hear.
SALWA ATWI: Oh, you have kids? How many?
DAVID RIDGEN: Yeah, [chuckles] he's... I've got one child, only and he's doing his university courses online.
SALWA ATWI: Oh, you sound young! You sound so young! So you are a parent.
DAVID RIDGEN: Yes.
SALWA ATWI: So you understand me.
DAVID RIDGEN: Yeah, of course. It's a horrible story. [Long pause] And so was Ali always... I mean, did he communicate with you or your family ever very well? Or was it... Did it come on suddenly or was this something that was always part of the life?
SALWA ATWI: We had our ups and downs. But me as a person, the only issue I had with him, it was only a “give relationship”. Like Nadia had to give, give, give, give, give all the time. And I don't think she was taking anything in return. But as a parent, you know, like she's an adult right? And she loved him. So I was standing by her and I keep talking like any parent. But yeah, he didn't like me. He said, like, he sent me so many messages, “I don't like you because you have negativity”' and stuff like that. But his mother was here and I kept good relationship with the mom…
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] Ali’s mother from Lebanon lived with him and Nadia in the past, and for a period leading up to Nadia’s disappearance.
SALWA ATWI: So what I can tell you about Ali, like even though, if he didn't... We don't have to love each other to be respectful, right? And until now I don't understand why he wants to make it more difficult instead of standing by us and helping us.
DAVID RIDGEN: What was Ali's... What was his explanation for what might have happened to Nadia?
SALWA ATWI: He came up with so many stories, I don't know for real if he told the police that because the police don't share what he told them, right?
DAVID RIDGEN: Right. Okay.
SALWA ATWI: Yeah. So I don't know if they share what we told him but because there is no evidence, you cannot go and accuse people. But for him, he... One of his reasons he didn't want us to be around the boy is because we going to call him... Like we're going to “accuse” him of the mother's disappearing. And it's not true. Like I said that in my affidavit — saying that means we gave up on Nadia. It means that we don't believe she's alive and she's not going to come back and we never did,
DAVID RIDGEN: Can you just tell me what the police have been doing on the case?
SALWA ATWI: Yes, at first it was… I don't know, after like a few weeks it was handled by homicide detectives. And that detective, unfortunately, retired and it moved to another one. I could say they tried their best. They answer my phone call. We met with them a few times and we did all our concerns and questions. But maybe at the beginning… There are no evidence like for foul play. That's what they keep saying. “No evidence of foul play, no solid evidence that something happened.” And they're looking at the case as a missing person.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] No evidence of foul play, police say. Nadia is a missing person. So where is she?
DAVID RIDGEN: Tell me a little bit more about Nadia. What was her personality like?
SALWA ATWI: Nadia...Nadia is my oldest child. I have four children. Nadia was full of life, happiness, you know, like she was born in Edmonton and she was educated in Edmonton. She went to school here from elementary to University of Alberta. When she was doing her university, she was stressed for a while and we didn't know… it was maybe 2008, 2009. So…and we did see doctors and stuff. And she was diagnosed as bipolar by…I don't know, I can't remember…like 2010. And as a parent and you have a child and you know, so many things go in their life. And we did our best to help her.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] One episode that Nadia experienced, was while she was attending university.
SALWA ATWI: She wanted to see the doctor.They just look at it as a young lady who is in a different culture. She's not allowed to do much. She is under pressure. So nobody talked about it. And we took her to the University of Alberta. And then another episode when she was married, it was in April. She went to the hospital…
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] During that same period, which occurred in Spring of 2017, Nadia sent texts to her father that suggested she was having arguments with Ali. Nadia tells her dad that Ali had wanted to take their son Muhammad away to Yellowknife with him and Nadia didn’t agree. Whether these texts could have been the result of one of Nadia’s episodes or not Salwa feels that Nadia’s bipolar disorder is less of a factor in her disappearance.
SALWA ATWI: What I'm trying to say, Nadia’s bipolar, it wasn't that bad that she would lose her memory. She wouldn’t be violent…or unapproachable like they tried to portray her in the media the first week she disappeared.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] Nadia’s diagnosed bipolar disorder comes up frequently in past reporting on her case.
CITYNEWS REPORTER: [CLIP] Now when I spoke to Nadia's husband, he said she has had similar bipolar episodes in the past and because she hasn't had her medication in over three days now, she may be confused. And if anyone sees Nadia, they should call police before they approach her.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] I wonder how this diagnosis may have impacted the theories surrounding Nadia's disappearance. A focus on mental health can lead to a conclusion that the individual was somehow “unstable,” and that conclusion helps to obfuscate other possible avenues that may be related to their disappearance.
DAVID RIDGEN: So diagnosed with bipolar disorder. How did that evidence itself in her? How did she show any of her symptoms?
SALWA ATWI: Yeah. Like at the beginning, even like...people would look at her behavior as a spoiled child. So when she's high, she's bossy, she orders, like she knows what to do. And when she's at her lowest moment, she will be quiet. And when I read her report and they say, “If you see Nadia she may be disoriented or…” Like, I mean, I haven't witnessed that if she is without medication, like, she will be “unapproachable,” like the media said.
DAVID RIDGEN: Right. Right. Was she on medication at the time?
SALWA ATWI: See, that's the problem, because Nadia was not living with us, she was at her house and I didn't know if she was taking her medication or not. And I mean, I'm not able to talk to her doctors. I do have some medication of hers – at my house. And we showed them to a family doctor who is related to us. And it was like maybe confirmed more than once, none of these medications, if you stay away with…without three days that you will go into…like “suicidal mode.”
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] It's been suggested by some, that Nadia's bipolar condition could have led her to commit suicide…
DAVID RIDGEN: Okay, and did she ever display, to your knowledge, any kind of suicidal thoughts or tendencies? Did she ever talk to you about wanting to end life or anything?
SALWA ATWI: Never, never. No. Like we never, ever witness that. I mean, you know, she never did, especially since she had a child. And it makes us wonder, when somebody wants to commit suicide, especially if they are at the low moment, where would they hide their body? It's been years and we didn't find anything from Nadia in that area where her car was found. This will give me hope that maybe she is alive?
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] I’m going to ask others about Nadia’s health and hopefully will come up with a broad picture of her. For now, I bring the conversation back to Nadia as a person, and her life with her husband Ali. The two first met in Lebanon, but it was only after Nadia and her family returned to Canada that they started their long-distance relationship.
SALWA ATWI: So she used to talk to him and they met in person and they did their engagement in Lebanon. And he came to Canada in 2013. She did love her husband. She did everything she could…maybe to make her relationship work?
DAVID RIDGEN: It sounds like they had at least at the beginning and maybe even at the end, a loving relationship or at least a relationship where they were comfortable with each other.
SALWA ATWI: Yeah, I mean, she had the child then.
DAVID RIDGEN: Did you ever get a chance to look at her cell phone or was it immediately given to Ali?
SALWA ATWI: No, it was given to Ali.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] According to Salwa, the last message she received from Nadia was sent around 7 AM on December 7, 2017, the day before Nadia disappeared. A very short interaction. Salwa says “Who is picking who?” and Nadia says “You please” and Salwa responds, “Okay” and that is it. That would be the normal timing for pickup for work at the school.
DAVID RIDGEN: And did Ali ever tell you directly what he thought happened that day? Did he ever say her timing when Nadia left home? When the last time he saw her was?
SALWA ATWI: No, to be honest ...it was at the beginning he was cooperating with a group of people looking for Nadia. Her brothers, her sister, her cousin. He would say, “Oh, she did that, she went before. And she came back.” And see this is another case – I mean, she never, ever went missing for so long and never showed up. She did a few times, she drove to Calgary because she loved Calgary. We lived in Calgary for eight years and we had a home there. So she used to tell us she feels happy when she goes to her old neighbourhood and…But never, ever went missing like this. That's what makes it scary.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] Salwa says that Nadia’s drives were a way for her to clear her head. That the three-hour drive gave her an escape. Trips like this lasted about a day or so. And each time Nadia would eventually check in with her family or Ali. Ali appeared at a news conference alongside Edmonton police shortly after Nadia’s disappearance.
ALI FNEICH: [CLIP] Just want to tell her that I love her, that I'm waiting for her and her son are waiting her as well. We're all waiting you. Please, please, please, Nadia. We love you.
SALWA ATWI: This behaviour is unlike Nadia. And believe me, she's very caring and kind of like a sweetheart. She wouldn't want to make us worry for no reason. You know, she cares about her dad. She cares about us.
DAVID RIDGEN: And she had a young son at the time, obviously.
SALWA ATWI: Yes, he was two-years-old. And believe me, she did love him so much.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] I can feel myself wanting to go back to the beginning and dig deeper but I think Salwa has probably had enough of my method for now.
DAVID RIDGEN: Thanks for talking to me now. We'll talk again soon. Thank you Salwa.
SALWA ATWI: So thank you. Okay. Hope you'll understand my situation. Thank you.
DAVID RIDGEN: Yes. Thank you, Salwa. I'll talk soon. Okay. Bye bye.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] I’ve reached out to Edmonton police, asking for their assistance in Nadia’s case. But until I hear back, there are a lot of other people to approach. In Nadia’s extended family for one...
ADEL ELSERI: [CLIP] So with Nadia, there's a lot of details that the public don't know. And you know what? It's just time to shine light on it.''
Transcript: The Next Call, The Case of Nadia Atwi, E1 | CBC Radio
"TRANSCRIPT: The Next Call, The Case of Nadia Atwi, E1 “Where are you?”
Episode description: On the morning of December 8, 2017, Salwa Atwi arrives at her daughter Nadia’s home for their regular carpool. Nadia doesn’t come outside. Four years later, there is still no sign of her.
ALI FNEICH: [CLIP] Just want to tell her that I love her, that I'm waiting for her, and her son are waiting her as well.
SALWA ATWI: Hello?
DAVID RIDGEN: Hi, Salwa. It's David Ridgen here.
SALWA ATWI: Yes, hi, David. How are you?
DAVID RIDGEN: I'm good. Do you have time now? Can we talk?
SALWA ATWI: Yes, yes, I do.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] This is Salwa Atwi. She’s speaking to me from Edmonton, Alberta. It’s been over four years since she last saw her daughter, Nadia in December of 2017. The best place to start in any case is with a family member. They can supply the best character and background about their loved one, and also valuable case information and investigative guidance. As with all cases where no body has been found, the question of what actually happened is more difficult to answer, and the unknown of it can be much more painful to live with.
SALWA ATWI: You know, I was at my lowest moment because I know her case is still open, but I don't know what to do anymore. In our culture, it's not nice to talk about your life and stuff and this never happened before. Because we're originally from Lebanon. So, but I think it's about time. I should do it. [Somber music swells] I should do it. [Long pause]...I'm going to do my best to tell the story. But I hope you'll understand, because she had a boy who is five-years-old. And as a grandma, as a parent, as a teacher, I'm always careful because I don't want to hurt... I don't want to do anything that will cause harm to that little boy.
DAVID RIDGEN: Yeah, I understand. What's the little boy's name?
SALWA ATWI: Muhammad.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] Muhammad was two-years-old at the time of Nadia’s disappearance.
DAVID RIDGEN: Ok, so maybe tell me a little bit more about Nadia.
SALWA ATWI: Ok. Nadia is my oldest child. She had a teaching degree. She graduated from the University of Alberta, and she didn't work as a teacher until 2017. She got a chance at a school, like a private school. Twenty-seventeen, July of that year, I did retire. So as a mother, I thought it would be good for both of us, I’ll help her.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] Salwa and Nadia both taught at Al-Baqir Academy, a Shia Islamic school in the southwest quadrant of Edmonton. The school was about a 40-minute drive away from Nadia’s place, so carpooling was part of their lives.
SALWA ATWI: So we were working together. And her husband used to work out of town. So we used to carpool. When her husband needed the car, we used our car. I drive from my home to Nadia's house, which is only five to six minutes away. She used to message me in the morning, saying, “Mom, can you come and pick me up?” Like, “Today I'm driving. I will pick you up.”
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] The last time Salwa says she saw Nadia was the evening of December 7th. They had just completed the Islamic sunset prayer with the man who was the Imam and principal of their school.
SALWA ATWI: The last time I saw Nadia, it was in that evening because we drove and it was around 5:00, 5:30, and I said “goodbye.” She looked kind of quiet and she said, “Mom, come for coffee.” But I said, “Oh, it's okay, we're tired. I'll see you tomorrow.” And in the morning, she didn't message me, so I was a little bit later than usual, but I figured because her husband is in town, I should be taking my car. I drove to her house, and the light was on. I called a few times and nobody answered.
DAVID RIDGEN: So from outside of the house you called.
SALWA ATWI: Yeah.
DAVID RIDGEN: Okay, so what time was this in the morning about?
SALWA ATWI: It was...about 7:24, 7:24.
DAVID RIDGEN: And is this December 8th?
SALWA ATWI: Yeah, December 8th.
SALWA ATWI: That morning one of the neighbours had a surveillance camera. You could see my car coming at 7:24, and I left maybe 7:28.
DAVID RIDGEN: When you were there at the house in the morning, did you see Nadia's car?
SALWA ATWI: Uh no, because the garage was closed.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] Because of the way the neighbour’s camera is situated in relation to Nadia’s home, a clear view of their garage, and therefore the car pulling away is not possible.
SALWA ATWI: So I knocked the door and her husband came down and he tried to close the door in my face.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] Salwa refers here to Nadia’s husband, whose name is Ali. Ali Fneich is in his mid-30s, and has held jobs as an apprentice electrician and in transportation logistics in recent years. Salwa says they've always had a somewhat strained relationship.
SALWA ATWI: I pushed the door and I said “I'm not here to beg. Where is Nadia?” So he closed the door. And I waited in the car. I thought Nadia will come out. But she didn't come out, so I went back and I knocked, and it was running late because we need about 45, 40 minutes in the morning to reach the school where we are at.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] She also says that when she walked back to knock at the door a second time…it was open.
SALWA ATWI: So I came back to the door and it was open. So I stepped and I said, “Where is Nadia?” Her husband wasn't pleasant. He wasn't respectful at all. He shouted at me and he said, “She's not here!” He started yelling, which really upset me because I didn't understand why. So I went back to the car and I called my husband and I said, “If Nadia comes to pick me up, tell her I drove to school.” I didn't know what happened. Like, I didn't know Nadia's not there...I didn't know... if I go back, I would react differently, but I didn't know she's going to be missing. I thought maybe she went to pick me up. So I went all the way to school. And I stayed at school that day, I wasn't comfortable at all because I called Nadia twice and I sent her messages. It's still on my WhatsApp, by the way. The kids shouted, “We miss you, Nadia.”
[Salwa’s WhatsApp audio message to Nadia plays]
NADIA’S STUDENTS: [Children shouting in unison] I miss you Nadia!
SALWA ATWI: [Quietly] Where are you?
NADIA’S STUDENTS: [Children shouting in unison] Where are you?
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] I ask Salwa what happened after she arrived at the school on the morning that Nadia disappeared. She focuses on the timing of when Nadia was reported missing.
SALWA ATWI: It was around 9:50, but no answer. So I stayed at school, even though the principal said, “If you need the help,..” I said, “No, it's Okay, I'll be Okay.” And at 2, 2:20 or something, it was recess time, the principal came and he said “I was approached by Ali and he said he reported her missing to the police.”
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] I’ll be looking at the timing of when Nadia being missing was reported to police, and by whom, later. But Salwa says Ali came to the school looking for her that day at some point, perhaps around noon.
SALWA ATWI: Ali drove to the school. He didn't talk to me. He just went upstairs and told them “Where is Nadia?” And one of the teachers said, “Nadia didn't come today.” And…uh…because he needed the car. So it was too late for me to call the substitute. And still, I didn't take it seriously.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] A musician friend of Ali’s named Jihad apparently drove him to the school that day. I’ll have to be sure to try talking to him to see what he might remember about that.
DAVID RIDGEN: Okay. Okay, so he came to the school. He came to the school, he says, because he was looking for the car and discovered that Nadia wasn't there.
SALWA ATWI: Yeah.
DAVID RIDGEN: Okay, and then you say that Ali went and reported her missing to the police that same day?
SALWA ATWI: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, like, I blame myself. If I had known Nadia disappeared I would have went home. I would have went looking for her. But unfortunately, like maybe nobody thought it was serious.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] I want to speak with the principal about his version of what Ali said that day. And I’ll also have to reach out to police, and Ali himself. I ask Salwa when Nadia’s car was found on the day she disappeared. Originally it had been reported in the media to have been found at 12:30 PM, but Salwa says that was a misunderstanding and that Nadia’s car was actually found later in the afternoon, at Rundle Park in Edmonton.
SALWA ATWI: The car was seen by somebody walking in Rundle Park. And reported to the police around 4:00. So that's when they knew Nadia is not there. Because her car was in a ditch like in Rundle Park close to the exit of that park, and I didn't see it, we didn't see it, but they said there was a phone in the car and one shoe outside of that car.
DAVID RIDGEN: Okay…
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] Nadia’s car was found, overturned wedged into thick December bushes just off the roadside in Edmonton’s Rundle Park – a vast public green space cradled by the North Saskatchewan River. About a 15-minute drive from Nadia and Ali’s house.
SALWA ATWI: We were told that she was not able to leave from the driver's side. She had to leave from the passenger side.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] Salwa says that a dark-coloured hijab was found in the car. Normally this would be something she would put on at home and that would not easily come off on its own. But it is also possible that Nadia kept an extra one in the car. Also found in her car, a cell phone. A single shoe was reportedly found outside of the car that I cannot confirm was Nadia’s. Nadia herself, nowhere in sight. Not even discernible footprints in the light snow. It was about minus six degrees Celsius that morning, warming up to one degree by the afternoon.
DAVID RIDGEN: Okay, and did police ever tell you how long they think the car had been there? Because it was in a ditch and it would have been noticeable, I imagine, or maybe it was in a place...
SALWA ATWI: See, that's what I mean. That's what I mean. We had so many questions and the detective tried to answer them. But until now, it doesn't make sense…
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] The amount of time the car was in Rundle Park is of crucial importance. But it's not an answer that's immediately apparent... I turn the conversation back to Ali’s relationship with the family.
DAVID RIDGEN: Okay, and where did Ali work? Where was his place of work? You said he worked out of town.
SALWA ATWI: He used to work in Yellowknife. Ali didn't have a good relationship with me and then her brothers. And then before she disappeared, he was not talking to any of us. So there was no communication…
DAVID RIDGEN: Was there ever any explanation for his behaviour towards you or the rest of the family?
SALWA ATWI: He told my son, “Even though your sister is missing, I can't go to your house because we have bad blood.”
DAVID RIDGEN: And when was the last time you communicated with Ali?
SALWA ATWI: I had to see him a few other times when I used to see his boy — Nadia's boy. But unfortunately we had to go to court and to get permission for only three hours, myself and my husband, only the grandparents because the judge said, like it's better to protect that little boy from adults.
DAVID RIDGEN: Right. Okay.
SALWA ATWI: So it was yes, there was a court order and it was revisited a few times.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] In March 2018 Ali initiated a protection order against Salwa and others because he alleged they were harassing him about Nadia’s case. He told the Court he was “fearful” Nadia’s parents thought he had something to do with her disappearance. One of the claims Ali makes in the order is that he “received calls,” suggesting that, “they were going to kill me” and that persons are “harassing me on social media and slandering me.” And finally, Ali writes in apparent connection to Nadia’s family seeking visits with their son Muhammad, “I think they are watching my home to know when I will be away.” And in a sworn affidavit regarding the visitation rights of Muhammad’s maternal grandparents and referring to Nadia’s disappearance, Ali swears he had “nothing to do with it.” After Nadia disappeared, Ali and Muhammed continued to live in the same house they had bought in July 2017.
SALWA ATWI: Yeah, they bought the house and they moved into the house in July. She disappeared in December. And Ali, I think, stayed in it for…recently the house is for sale…
DAVID RIDGEN: Okay, hang on, sorry. Hang on one second, one second.
SALWA ATWI: Yes.
DAVID RIDGEN: Sorry, I just have my son talking in the background, and I can't hear.
SALWA ATWI: Oh, you have kids? How many?
DAVID RIDGEN: Yeah, [chuckles] he's... I've got one child, only and he's doing his university courses online.
SALWA ATWI: Oh, you sound young! You sound so young! So you are a parent.
DAVID RIDGEN: Yes.
SALWA ATWI: So you understand me.
DAVID RIDGEN: Yeah, of course. It's a horrible story. [Long pause] And so was Ali always... I mean, did he communicate with you or your family ever very well? Or was it... Did it come on suddenly or was this something that was always part of the life?
SALWA ATWI: We had our ups and downs. But me as a person, the only issue I had with him, it was only a “give relationship”. Like Nadia had to give, give, give, give, give all the time. And I don't think she was taking anything in return. But as a parent, you know, like she's an adult right? And she loved him. So I was standing by her and I keep talking like any parent. But yeah, he didn't like me. He said, like, he sent me so many messages, “I don't like you because you have negativity”' and stuff like that. But his mother was here and I kept good relationship with the mom…
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] Ali’s mother from Lebanon lived with him and Nadia in the past, and for a period leading up to Nadia’s disappearance.
SALWA ATWI: So what I can tell you about Ali, like even though, if he didn't... We don't have to love each other to be respectful, right? And until now I don't understand why he wants to make it more difficult instead of standing by us and helping us.
DAVID RIDGEN: What was Ali's... What was his explanation for what might have happened to Nadia?
SALWA ATWI: He came up with so many stories, I don't know for real if he told the police that because the police don't share what he told them, right?
DAVID RIDGEN: Right. Okay.
SALWA ATWI: Yeah. So I don't know if they share what we told him but because there is no evidence, you cannot go and accuse people. But for him, he... One of his reasons he didn't want us to be around the boy is because we going to call him... Like we're going to “accuse” him of the mother's disappearing. And it's not true. Like I said that in my affidavit — saying that means we gave up on Nadia. It means that we don't believe she's alive and she's not going to come back and we never did,
DAVID RIDGEN: Can you just tell me what the police have been doing on the case?
SALWA ATWI: Yes, at first it was… I don't know, after like a few weeks it was handled by homicide detectives. And that detective, unfortunately, retired and it moved to another one. I could say they tried their best. They answer my phone call. We met with them a few times and we did all our concerns and questions. But maybe at the beginning… There are no evidence like for foul play. That's what they keep saying. “No evidence of foul play, no solid evidence that something happened.” And they're looking at the case as a missing person.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] No evidence of foul play, police say. Nadia is a missing person. So where is she?
DAVID RIDGEN: Tell me a little bit more about Nadia. What was her personality like?
SALWA ATWI: Nadia...Nadia is my oldest child. I have four children. Nadia was full of life, happiness, you know, like she was born in Edmonton and she was educated in Edmonton. She went to school here from elementary to University of Alberta. When she was doing her university, she was stressed for a while and we didn't know… it was maybe 2008, 2009. So…and we did see doctors and stuff. And she was diagnosed as bipolar by…I don't know, I can't remember…like 2010. And as a parent and you have a child and you know, so many things go in their life. And we did our best to help her.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] One episode that Nadia experienced, was while she was attending university.
SALWA ATWI: She wanted to see the doctor.They just look at it as a young lady who is in a different culture. She's not allowed to do much. She is under pressure. So nobody talked about it. And we took her to the University of Alberta. And then another episode when she was married, it was in April. She went to the hospital…
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] During that same period, which occurred in Spring of 2017, Nadia sent texts to her father that suggested she was having arguments with Ali. Nadia tells her dad that Ali had wanted to take their son Muhammad away to Yellowknife with him and Nadia didn’t agree. Whether these texts could have been the result of one of Nadia’s episodes or not Salwa feels that Nadia’s bipolar disorder is less of a factor in her disappearance.
SALWA ATWI: What I'm trying to say, Nadia’s bipolar, it wasn't that bad that she would lose her memory. She wouldn’t be violent…or unapproachable like they tried to portray her in the media the first week she disappeared.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] Nadia’s diagnosed bipolar disorder comes up frequently in past reporting on her case.
CITYNEWS REPORTER: [CLIP] Now when I spoke to Nadia's husband, he said she has had similar bipolar episodes in the past and because she hasn't had her medication in over three days now, she may be confused. And if anyone sees Nadia, they should call police before they approach her.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] I wonder how this diagnosis may have impacted the theories surrounding Nadia's disappearance. A focus on mental health can lead to a conclusion that the individual was somehow “unstable,” and that conclusion helps to obfuscate other possible avenues that may be related to their disappearance.
DAVID RIDGEN: So diagnosed with bipolar disorder. How did that evidence itself in her? How did she show any of her symptoms?
SALWA ATWI: Yeah. Like at the beginning, even like...people would look at her behavior as a spoiled child. So when she's high, she's bossy, she orders, like she knows what to do. And when she's at her lowest moment, she will be quiet. And when I read her report and they say, “If you see Nadia she may be disoriented or…” Like, I mean, I haven't witnessed that if she is without medication, like, she will be “unapproachable,” like the media said.
DAVID RIDGEN: Right. Right. Was she on medication at the time?
SALWA ATWI: See, that's the problem, because Nadia was not living with us, she was at her house and I didn't know if she was taking her medication or not. And I mean, I'm not able to talk to her doctors. I do have some medication of hers – at my house. And we showed them to a family doctor who is related to us. And it was like maybe confirmed more than once, none of these medications, if you stay away with…without three days that you will go into…like “suicidal mode.”
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] It's been suggested by some, that Nadia's bipolar condition could have led her to commit suicide…
DAVID RIDGEN: Okay, and did she ever display, to your knowledge, any kind of suicidal thoughts or tendencies? Did she ever talk to you about wanting to end life or anything?
SALWA ATWI: Never, never. No. Like we never, ever witness that. I mean, you know, she never did, especially since she had a child. And it makes us wonder, when somebody wants to commit suicide, especially if they are at the low moment, where would they hide their body? It's been years and we didn't find anything from Nadia in that area where her car was found. This will give me hope that maybe she is alive?
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] I’m going to ask others about Nadia’s health and hopefully will come up with a broad picture of her. For now, I bring the conversation back to Nadia as a person, and her life with her husband Ali. The two first met in Lebanon, but it was only after Nadia and her family returned to Canada that they started their long-distance relationship.
SALWA ATWI: So she used to talk to him and they met in person and they did their engagement in Lebanon. And he came to Canada in 2013. She did love her husband. She did everything she could…maybe to make her relationship work?
DAVID RIDGEN: It sounds like they had at least at the beginning and maybe even at the end, a loving relationship or at least a relationship where they were comfortable with each other.
SALWA ATWI: Yeah, I mean, she had the child then.
DAVID RIDGEN: Did you ever get a chance to look at her cell phone or was it immediately given to Ali?
SALWA ATWI: No, it was given to Ali.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] According to Salwa, the last message she received from Nadia was sent around 7 AM on December 7, 2017, the day before Nadia disappeared. A very short interaction. Salwa says “Who is picking who?” and Nadia says “You please” and Salwa responds, “Okay” and that is it. That would be the normal timing for pickup for work at the school.
DAVID RIDGEN: And did Ali ever tell you directly what he thought happened that day? Did he ever say her timing when Nadia left home? When the last time he saw her was?
SALWA ATWI: No, to be honest ...it was at the beginning he was cooperating with a group of people looking for Nadia. Her brothers, her sister, her cousin. He would say, “Oh, she did that, she went before. And she came back.” And see this is another case – I mean, she never, ever went missing for so long and never showed up. She did a few times, she drove to Calgary because she loved Calgary. We lived in Calgary for eight years and we had a home there. So she used to tell us she feels happy when she goes to her old neighbourhood and…But never, ever went missing like this. That's what makes it scary.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] Salwa says that Nadia’s drives were a way for her to clear her head. That the three-hour drive gave her an escape. Trips like this lasted about a day or so. And each time Nadia would eventually check in with her family or Ali. Ali appeared at a news conference alongside Edmonton police shortly after Nadia’s disappearance.
ALI FNEICH: [CLIP] Just want to tell her that I love her, that I'm waiting for her and her son are waiting her as well. We're all waiting you. Please, please, please, Nadia. We love you.
SALWA ATWI: This behaviour is unlike Nadia. And believe me, she's very caring and kind of like a sweetheart. She wouldn't want to make us worry for no reason. You know, she cares about her dad. She cares about us.
DAVID RIDGEN: And she had a young son at the time, obviously.
SALWA ATWI: Yes, he was two-years-old. And believe me, she did love him so much.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] I can feel myself wanting to go back to the beginning and dig deeper but I think Salwa has probably had enough of my method for now.
DAVID RIDGEN: Thanks for talking to me now. We'll talk again soon. Thank you Salwa.
SALWA ATWI: So thank you. Okay. Hope you'll understand my situation. Thank you.
DAVID RIDGEN: Yes. Thank you, Salwa. I'll talk soon. Okay. Bye bye.
DAVID RIDGEN: [VOICEOVER] I’ve reached out to Edmonton police, asking for their assistance in Nadia’s case. But until I hear back, there are a lot of other people to approach. In Nadia’s extended family for one...
ADEL ELSERI: [CLIP] So with Nadia, there's a lot of details that the public don't know. And you know what? It's just time to shine light on it.''
'It's been 5 years since Edmonton school teacher and mother Nadia Atwi was reported missing, and her family is not giving up hope on answers. Carly Robinson has more on what police have to say about her disappearance.'
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Nadia's family continues to post quite frequently in their Facebook group dedicated to finding her:
MISSING: NADIA ATWI
MISSING: NADIA ATWI