Killer Husband Realizes Police Found His Wife’s Body

The Unseen Grave: The Disappearance and Murder of Roa Al Danoon 💔

The case of Roa Al Danoon, a 24-year-old single mother and refugee from Iraq, began with a mundane missing person report that quickly spiraled into a chilling homicide investigation. Roa, known for her quiet routine of caring for her son and working at a local restaurant, failed to show up for work for three straight days in October 2016. Her concerned co-workers contacted the Lakewood police.

The Foul Smell and the Missing Mother

On October 19th, 2016, police arrived at Roa’s apartment. The officers noticed a faint, sharp, and unsettling smell emanating from the unit—a “sour smell, like something that was like starting to rot.” This detail instantly elevated the welfare check into a serious concern for foul play. Lacking legal grounds for forced entry, they called building maintenance for a spare key.

When they finally entered, the apartment told a bizarre story. Roa’s bedroom was torn apart, clothes and belongings tossed everywhere, suggesting a panicked rush or struggle. Yet, in her son’s room, bags sat packed by the bed, implying a planned departure that never occurred. The kitchen held the source of the rancid odor: a jug of milk and a prepared pan of chicken, both left out to rot, pointing to an abrupt and violent interruption of a daily routine. Neither Roa nor her son were present.

The Ex-Husband and the Concerned Co-worker

Roa had come to the US in 2014, and by September 2017, she had divorced her husband, Fahad Muhammad Sahed, and was granted full custody of their young son. The relationship had become volatile; Roa had a protection order against Fahad due to threats and violence.

Detectives focused on two men:

Fahad Muhammad Sahed: The estranged ex-husband who was legally prohibited from being near Roa or their son.

Hamza: A co-worker, the last person known to have seen Roa.

Hamza, interviewed by police, appeared comfortable and willing to speak. He insisted they were “only friends,” vehemently denying any romantic relationship, fearing damage to his reputation and his engagement. He recounted last seeing Roa on the night she disappeared, October 16th, smoking hookah. Crucially, he described Roa’s fear: she checked the door’s peephole and saw Fahad lurking in the hallway. To avoid “drama” and protect her reputation in the Arabic community, Roa told Hamza to leave through the back door.

The officers found this detail significant. They returned to the apartment and found the hookah was broken, missing its hose and mouthpiece. This contradicted Hamza’s story that they had just smoked casually. When brought back in, Hamza had no explanation for the broken hookah, but he passed a polygraph test concerning Roa’s disappearance, taking him off the hook for the time being.

The First Arrest: A Convenient Lie

Armed with the knowledge that Fahad had violated the protection order by stalking Roa, police arrested him on October 25th, 2016. Fahad remained relaxed and pleasant during his arrest.

During his interrogation, Fahad claimed Roa had willingly dropped off their son at his house around 11 p.m. on October 16th. She was, he claimed, going to a party in Detroit and would return the next day. This story defied logic: Roa would never leave her son with the man she feared and had a protective order against. Fahad was officially the last person to see Roa alive and was booked into the county jail for violating the protection order.

The Digging Shovel and the Obstructing Friend

With Roa still missing, detectives shifted focus to phone records. They found a call Fahad made during the disappearance window to a friend, Amomar Sami. Location data placed Amomar right outside Roa’s apartment that night.

Amomar was brought in and lied, claiming he had met Fahad, smoked cigarettes, and then went to Walmart alone. Detectives pulled the Walmart security footage. The video showed Amomar’s car entering the lot, and then two people—Amomar and Fahad—exiting. The footage then captured both men walking into the hardware section where Fahad purchased a six-foot digging shovel.

Faced with video evidence, Amomar weakly claimed forgetfulness and confusion due to “surgeries” and “medications.” This deliberate lie led to his arrest for obstructing justice and obstructing official business. With both Fahad and Amomar behind bars, the case was still stalled.

The Jailhouse Confession and the Crude Map

Six months after Roa vanished, a breakthrough came from an unexpected source: the girlfriend of Fahad’s cellmate. The cellmate, who also spoke Arabic, had gained Fahad’s trust. Fahad, thinking he had an ally, confessed crucial details and provided a handdrawn map indicating where he had buried Roa.

The inmate recounted Fahad’s story of the night of October 16th:

Violation and Observation: Fahad had keyed himself into Roa’s apartment. He crept down the hall and saw her bedroom door ajar.

The Recording (A Lie): Fahad observed Roa having relations with Hamza. He claimed he briefly recorded the encounter on his phone, which never surfaced, a detail the police believed was a “ploy” to save his image in his community.

The Confrontation: Fahad waited for Hamza to leave, then returned to confront Roa.

On May 15th, 2017, the FBI’s evidence response team and officers gathered at the location marked on the map. After hours of searching, a supervisor struck a zipper canvas bag buried about 12 inches deep. The unmistakable smell of decomposition confirmed their grim discovery: they had finally found Roa Al Danoon.

Justice Served

Confronted with the discovery of the body, Fahad changed his story. He claimed Roa had willingly reconciled with him at his apartment that night. However, in the middle of the night, he saw Roa standing over him in the kitchen with a knife, thinking he was asleep. He claimed he panicked, jumped out of bed, got behind her, and choked her until she became unconscious.

The horror escalated with his final admission: “I put her in a bag… took her to the park… I dug up a hole for about two hours… buried her.” Fahad admitted to burying Roa right in front of their young son.

On January 18th, 2018, Fahad Muhammad Sahed pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, kidnapping, and burglary. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, followed by deportation back to Iraq.

Amomar Sami was convicted for aiding Fahad and obstructing the investigation and was sentenced to 18 months behind bars.

Roa Al Danoon had escaped war and built a new life, only to have her freedom and life stolen by the past she tried desperately to leave behind.