True Crime with Kimbyr - Digital Friendship Turns Deadly - The Mysterious Death of Nadia Kajouji

Episode Date: December 9, 2024

On True Crime with Kimbyr, we unravel the chilling mystery of Nadia Kajouji, a brilliant college freshman who vanished from her dorm on a snowy night at Carleton University. Nadia’s life, full of promise and achievement, took a tragic turn that shocked her family and community. What dark secrets lay behind her disappearance? Join Kimbyrleigha as she dives deep into this heartbreaking case, blending compassionate storytelling with detailed analysis. Don’t miss this episode of True Crime with Kimbyr—a story of ambition, mystery, and tragedy that will leave you questioning everything. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happened to college freshman Nadia Kajouji? I'm going to tell you all the details in this video. Nadia seemingly vanished from her on-campus dorm room during her second semester of her first year at Carlton University. She was intelligent, hardworking, and received a scholarship for her academic success. But then one snowy night, she was gone. As the mystery unraveled, it got more and more sinister.

Now let me tell you her story. story. Hi everyone, welcome back to my channel. And if you've never been here before, I'm Kimberlea. Nice to finally meet you. I want to say up front that I know there will be a lot of opinions about this case and that's okay. It's all right to have our own beliefs. Just please, please, please remember that family members stumble upon my videos. So keep that in mind in the comments. However, I'm actually interested in your thoughts and perspectives. I want to hear from you. So let's have those respectful conversations in the comments section. I know all of you know, but anyone new here, let's keep it very respectful.

I would like to introduce you to Nadia Mena-Souzanne Kajouji. She was born in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, to her parents, mother Deborah Chivalier, who went by Didi, and her father, Muhammad Kajuzi. Nadia was born on June 8, 1989. Aw, she's a June baby like me, I'm June 7th. And her two middle names were in honor of her family. Mina was her grandmother and Suzanne was an aunt. Nadia's older half-brother Mark was 11 by the time Nadia was born. They shared the same father, and even though that's quite a significant age gap,

it didn't stop Mark and his new little sister from becoming very close. Nadia was a joy to her family. From the day that she was born, you could say she was quite the daddy's girl. Muhammad was just in awe of how beautiful his daughter was, but Deborah said she found her purpose when Nadia was born. and she promised that she would always know how much she was loved. Both Deborah and Muhammad were dedicated to giving both her and Mark everything they needed to have a full life,

including being two parents who were very involved in their children's lives. Let's take a look at what living in Brampton, Ontario is like. Brampton is a city in southern Ontario, Canada. It's located in the Greater Toronto area. And for reference, it's across Lake Ontario from New York City right here, in case you're like me, you're from the US,

and you want to for, related to where we are. Brampton is the ninth largest city in Canada and the largest city in the greater Toronto area outside of Toronto itself. There are about 500,000 residents, and this was around 2008, which will be an important timeframe for this case.

And now there are over 600,000 residents in this area today. Brampton is known for its diverse population, its thriving economy, and its many parks and green spaces. It's also one of Canada's fastest growing cities. Nadia's father immigrated here from Morocco. Here's the home where the family lived in. It's such a pretty street.

It's lined with really nice houses. The area they lived in is very residential and surrounded by lush greenery, lots of trees, parks, outdoor recreation. Tabra and Mohammed were invested in providing Nadia a well-rounded childhood. They went on outings to parks, petting zoos, which probably inspired Nadia's love for animals.

And they introduced her to many activities that would shape her into who she would become. Here she is with her brother, sitting on the rocks near a lake, having lunch, or feeding the seagulls, or maybe both. And here's little Nadia riding a pony at a fair. She looks like she might be around three in this picture with the pacifier still in her mouth, and these pictures are so bittersweet to me. Because I think most of us can relate to either having similar pictures of us taken as we were growing up, or we've taken them of our own children, our nieces, our nephews.

I know that I have. Nadia was also very fashionable from a young age. Look at her outfits. This floral one, it's so on point from head to toe, all the way from the hat to the cute matching sandals. And this one, the patchwork vest. I know I had one of these two and the red flowers to match on the straw hat. Whoever was responsible for these cute ensembles did a great job, and it was probably Deborah, so props to her. You can tell how much time and effort went into Nadia looking her best, with her hair being done and two braids or a side ponytail with matching bows.

I love this pretty outfit and the ponytail, the rose embroider on the collar, it's obvious that Nadia was adored by her family. Her parents were thrilled to explore with her, teach her new things, and instill values in her. It showed as she grew into her own person over time. As a child, Nadia displayed intelligence and wit that exceeded her years. While she stood out as smarter than most kids or age, that characteristic did not overshadow her joyful personality. She loved making friends she was a very cheerful little girl very creative and curious always ready for a new adventure or a new challenge mark like taking nadia to the mall and playing laser tag together they also went and played video games go-karting taking trips to see movies

and just spending time together nydia used to listen to the backstreet boys and she would actually make fun of mark and laugh any time he attempted to sing along to her favorite songs when they were driving around town and hanging out together it also kind of made me giggle because I know him being 11 years older and trying to engage with her and be into what she liked, it's very relatable. I'm an older sibling, and I'm sure a lot of you can relate to that as well. But among Nadia's other interests growing up was karate. She developed strength, self-discipline, self-defense skills, and mental focused through practicing karate. She also enjoyed swimming, and she eventually even picked up a job as a paper carrier learning all about responsibilities and hard work.

Every day, she would wake up early in the morning, rain or shine, to deliver newspapers to the residents of Brampton. Nottie made a lot of friends in her neighborhood and blossomed as she went into high school at Harold M. Brathwaite Secondary School, about 20 minutes from her home. She had pretty shiny brown hair, hazel green eyes, and was outgoing and popular, but most of all, she excelled academically. She was the epitome of an overachiever. She was determined to be the best. She strived for perfection, but just getting by with passing grades was not enough. and she was her biggest critic. She wanted the best grades so that she could one day become an attorney.

But as much as her studies were on the forefront of her list of goals, her social life was also very important to her. She definitely enjoyed hanging out with friends and dating as well. I could tell from the pictures I saw that fashion was something that Nadia carried from her childhood into her teens. She liked to wear hats, match her clothing, dress up in costumes like this one. Halloween was her favorite holiday. Mine too. Fall her favorite season, same. She won an award for best costume in grade school when she dressed up as a toilet, which I thought was really cute, and I've actually never seen someone dress up like that. And this costume was interesting, the blonde wig, the blood-soaked dress, a knife, and what is she doing to the dog?

I don't know. And of course, it's all in good fun. It's Halloween. Anything goes, right? Nadia loved when nature began to shift from summer to autumn, with all the leaves falling to the ground, carving pumpkins into jack lanterns, and that was one of her favorite pastimes. She continued the tradition every year, sometimes carving more than one. She was very creative. As much as friends and boyfriends became more of a priority, Nadia was still very close to her parents. And part of that was because they really liked to keep an eye on her. Maybe not so quite helicopter parents, but they were definitely interested in being a big part of their daughter's life.

However, as many teens do, Nadia yearned for more. more and more independence to carve out her own place in the world. And before she became an adult, Nadia joined the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets. This is a national youth program for Canadians age 12 to 18 years old. It's a program that offers a variety of fun activities to do that challenge you, and they all revolve around seamanship, sailing deep-rooted traditions of the Royal Canadian Navy. And I looked into this. It's almost like Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts on steroids, if you know what I mean.

The skills learned are very impressive. I grew up sailing, I used to live on a sailboat. So it was really cool for me to see kids learning the ropes, literally. And that's no easy feat. Sailing is very hard. And it showed me how dedicated Nadia was when it came to perseverance and having a very competitive nature, and that she did. She not only participated in the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, but she was honored by the Navy

League of Canada. She was given an award of excellence medal in 2005 at the age of 16 years old in recognizing of exemplary personal dress, department knowledge, and skill and cadet training, not to mention exceptional leadership qualities. Here she is in this picture, the only one with a big smile on her face. She was a force to be reckoned with, as they say, and in her case, it really was true. Her brother said she also had a bit of a smart mouth, but it was because she was very intelligent, and she liked to challenge other people's thoughts and opinions and beliefs, which is one of the things that they thought would make her a good lawyer. One of her friends from eighth grade described

her as different, brilliant, and special. Back on August 14, 2004, there was a major power outage that left 50 million people in the Northeast without power. Nadia was at one of her mom's friends' houses that night. It was the worst blackout in history. And you know what Nadia decided to do? She took her mom's friends' kids and they set up a telescope to look at Mars. She took that opportunity to learn and to teach because that's the kind of person she was. was. Nadia was also an exceptional writer. She wrote poems all the time and they were deep and emotional with tenants regarding the meanings of life, our purpose, and her own perspective on love, pain, and humanity running through them. She sang, she played guitar, she was a creative. She even performed

Wish You Were Here at her high school's Arts Night in 2004 when she was in the 10th grade. As a creative, she not only used pen and paper to showcase her art, she used her body as a canvas. She had a pierced eyebrow, a pierced tongue, and a tattoo of a geometric bat on her lower right stomach. I also liked her dark eyeliner. It was giving off a lot of eccentric vibes, which I'm a huge fan of. But overall, Nadia was just a beautiful young woman who was becoming more and more of her own person as the years went on. During high school, Nadia applied for a college scholarship through the Canadian Federation of University Women Scholarships and Fellowships. And it's for women who are pursuing higher education.

There are only about 10 to 13 awarded every year, and you probably guessed it. Nadia was one of the recipients of this award. Here is her letter congratulating her, which read in part, Dear Nadia. Congratulations on being selected as Harold M. Brathwaite's recipient of the Canadian Federation of University Women's Scholarship. In selecting an award winner, your teachers were asked to consider academic achievement and involvement in student activities. Your record in both areas was considered worthy of first. recognition, well done. That's another thing I forgot to mention. Nadia gave back to her community. She dedicated her time and energy to those in need, particularly at the local soup kitchen,

every Saturday she would spend time feeding the less fortunate in her community. And her compassionate nature, it extended beyond humans, as I mentioned, she cared deeply for animals as well. Nadia was an outstanding person and student. After receiving the scholarship, it was time for her to choose a university to attend. Her parents, of course, were hoping that it was somewhere close. by. But Nadia had different plans. As much as she loved and respected both of her parents, she wanted to explore a new place, meet new people, and not be under their watchful lie. After all, she had earned this. She was pretty much a perfect child, responsible, smart, well-behaved, studious award-winning. Her mother called her a shining star. Deborah said that Nadia was well-adjusted,

happy, and confident. Though it would be hard to be away from her, she knew that Nadia would thrive and it was time to let everything her mom and dad taught her to be put into practice as an adult. Nadia applied and was accepted to Carlton University in Ottawa, Canada, a five-hour drive from her hometown. Her brother, Mark, commented that it was far enough away that her parents were not just going to show up on a whim, knocking on her dorm room door, but close enough to fly or drive for a visit so they could often spend the holidays and important moments together. Being as close as she was with her dad, he understood why Nadia wanted to go away to college. She told him she didn't want him checking in on her.

She wanted the freedom of being an 18-year-old, an adult, and a grown-up of her own. Muhammad acknowledged that he and Nadia's mother had always been very protective of their daughter. They wanted to ensure her safety and her well-being, and that sounds reasonable. But I can understand wanting to have a little taste of freedom within the confines of a very safe university.

Plus, it is a beautiful campus. I can definitely see the appeal. It's the perfect place for college students with lots to do. Just look at it. It has a 150-acre campus located west of Old Ottawa South, a small, older neighborhood in the capital of Canada. The neighborhood is known for professors and students living there. It's also one of Ottawa's most politically progressive neighborhoods. The campus also sits on the Redoo River.

It's 146 kilometers long, which is 91 miles. And it winds through Ottawa. It begins flowing from the Upper Redue Lake, and you can see that. that right here on this map, this is where the lake is in reference to the university, and then it winds through and it empties into the Ottawa River at the Redou Falls. And that is a beautiful waterfall. It's only 16 minutes away from the campus. And see that horseshoe shape of a river. That is how it flows out of those two dams, which were built to empty the water into a man-made channel in the east bank of the river. And this was made when the Redu canal was being built. And I really

wanted to mention this because this is a very popular attractor. near the campus. This is an ice skating rink. It's actually the redo canal during the winter. How beautiful is this? The canal is 202 kilometers. It's 125 miles in length from Kingston to Ottawa. The canal snakes through Ottawa's downtown area and then it transforms into the world's largest ice-skitting rink. That's pretty awesome. They even have a Guinness Book of World Records at 7.8 kilometers or about five miles long. I've never seen anything like it, so I had to mention it. The website states that the skating season typically runs from January to early March, but it depends on the weather. When it's open, the skateway is free and accessible seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

That would be so fun. Probably because I don't have anything like that in California, but look how busy it gets. And I can imagine why. Look at it at night. It's so romantic and fun. It's a great reason to want to visit this area, so I can only imagine why this would be an ideal place to go to college. All year long, the pathway along this canal is packed with. with students, residents, and tourists taking walks and hiking, running, and biking.

It's a very historic site. Look at the buildings. They look like castles. It's one of the oldest landmarks in Ottawa. Lots of students like to take a nice stroll out there during their breaks. This was a very exciting time for Nadia to begin her freshman year, the first week of September in 2007, and it's the first week of September when I'm doing this video. So I found it fitting. She had just turned 18 that summer and was a public affairs and policy management major, which consists of studying the relationships between governments, organizations, and the public. Carlton University provided Deborah Muhammad with a sense of security, assuring them their daughter would be well taken care of during her time on campus. The university boasted its various

resources available to each student, including medical services, counselors, and on-campus security, which would ensure that Nadia would never even have to leave the campus for anything urgent at all. Everything was within reach. The university also has a reputation for its strengths and academics, specifically journalism, public affairs, international affairs, architecture, and technology. And speaking of which, this was just after the technology boom. It's the year the iPhone came out. But many of us were still using our iPods to listen to music, Nadia included.

It was the time of social media sites like MySpace, and more and more young people were turning towards social media to meet people. Nadia used Facebook, as well as MySpace to keep in touch with her Facebook. family and her friends and her phone was always by her side. Texting was the norm. Talking on the phone was becoming way less popular and the web was connecting more strangers than ever before. Being social was something that Nadia was doing a lot of at Carlton. Once she moved into her dorm room in Prescott Hall, she met all of her building sweetmates. No one shared an actual room with her, but they were on the same floor, which all consisted of communal areas to hang out in and events

that the residents could attend to network and meet other students. Nadia didn't have any trouble meeting friends, whether they were male or female. Her sweetmates described Nadia as genuinely happy. She had a vibrant personality and was always up for an adventure. In addition to her outgoing nature, they were impressed by Nadia's intelligence. It was clear to them that Nadia possessed a very sharp mind and she was very eager to learn. They had no doubt that Nadia was destined for great achievements in her future. She began going out more, partying, drinking.

She wasn't a heavy drinker, but she liked wine, vodka, and rye mix. That's like Belvedere, I think. I've never actually tried it. But she was doing what the college kids usually do. There are plenty of pictures of Nadia dressing up, smiling with friends, and of course holding the famous or infamous red solo cups in hand. Nadia strived to have an unforgettable experience at Carleton University. When she wasn't studying all night, she enjoyed shopping at the nearby mall, going to frat parties, and meeting new people.

This is where Nadia lived, Prescott House, and on-campus residence. It was great for students living away from home for the first time, and many college campuses require you to spend one year in the dorm so you can get acclimated to the school and other students, and because it's a great way to transition. Lots of help from your RAs, they have amenities available, and rules so that you maintain a school life balance. This definitely brings back a lot of memories from my parents.

college days. I lived in a very similar building my freshman year and I highly recommend the experience. Prescott House consisted of what they called sweets and they flaunt that they have a full-size fridge, microwave, meal prep area and each suite has four single bedrooms and share two bathrooms. So you would be there with three other people in your little suite. The rooms are also very close together. I was able to find some videos online of these suites so I just want you to take a look at how close in proximity her sweetmates really were to her. There are 400 students living in this residence. It has seven floors and it combines

freshmen and upperclassmen. And this is what one of the rooms looked like. They provide you with a desk and a bookshelf and you've got a bed and a window and some closet space. And that's about it kind of sterile like a doctor's office, not my favorite style, but it's college. I just wanted to get you in the mindset of what Nadia was seeing, feeling, and experiencing coming here. I'm sure there was a lot of excitement of being in a new place and sharing the space with other girls and boys because I think it was actually co-ed as well. It's just an exciting time. Muhammad and Deborah came to visit her just a few weeks in an Nadia's first semester. They wanted to see how things were going. And they took her shopping, they got her groceries, everyday necessities, and it seemed like she was really settling in. She was

making new friends. She was already enjoying her classes. But soon her parents were aware that there was something brewing underneath the surface. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars. Catch the Jonas Brothers return to the Yamava Theater stage on April 30th, the powerful vocals of Demi Lovato on May 17th, and the signature Southern Country Rock of Eric Church on July 19th. Tickets on sale now at Yamavatheater.com, only at Yamava Resort and Casino, celebrating its 40th anniversary.

You in? Must be 21 to enter. Nadia was heartbroken. She had been in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend, before she attended Carlton. But as soon as she got busy during her first semester, things changed. I don't have those details, but her boyfriend ended the relationship.

And this was really hard on Nadia. There were so many changes in such a short amount of time, but she was resilient, and she immersed herself in the college life, her classes, and her friends. And one of those friends was a close friend named Luke Rivett. Nadia met him in their French class.

They were connected right away, and Luke remembered seeing Nadia for the first time. And of course, he was in awe of her physical beauty, but even more impressed by her intellect and her caring personality. And what a genuine person she was, he was like, wow, are all the women at Carlton gonna be like this? But of course, Nadia was very special.

And she and Luke spent a lot of time together. They talked and they shared with each other, lending an ear to listen to each other's struggles and triumphs, either on the phone in person or of course over text. And eventually, Nadia did end up, in another romantic relationship, not with Luke, but by the end of the first semester, it had gotten a bit complicated and that relationship ended as well. So going into the winter break, when Nadia went back home to visit her parents for the holidays, she definitely seemed to

have a lot on her mind, which is understandable. But she wasn't the type to share the intimate details with everyone. She preferred to express herself through poetry and write in her diary. She would record all of her thoughts, emotions, perspectives on life, everything in the that diary. Her diary meant a lot to her and she kept it in a very safe place somewhere where it wouldn't be easily accessible. She also began to keep a journal on her laptop, another prize possession, like many of us have. Nadia spent a lot of time on her computer, her phone with her headphones and listening to music on her iPod. One of her favorite songs was Bittersweet Symphony by the Verve. And if you know, you know, I can't help but add this. Whenever I hear that song, I can't help but remember

the final scene from cruel intentions. It's by far one of my favorite movies from the 90s, it's iconic. And that final ending scene is so powerful. And that song makes it even more powerful. This song meant a lot to Nadia, and you may be able to relate to it. I know I do. It was one of those songs that she would play over and over again on repeat. I've always known it was deep, but I actually took a look at the lyrics and I realized

that it's so much more meaningful. To understand Nadia, I wanted to understand the song that she was drawn to. I won't read the whole thing, but it begins with the first first verse, quote, because it's a bittersweet symphony, that's life. End quote. Life being described as a symphony is so accurate because a symphony is made up of four individual musical movements. Each one is like a chapter of a book that comes together to make the song and thus the story.

And life is like that too. We go through different chapters of our lives and many bittersweet. It's the whole live and learn aspect. And in this moment of Nadia's life, she was in her discovery era, finding out who she was as a person. And sometimes that's bittersweet, stripping away the old you and re-emerging as more in line with your whole self, your true self. It's a complicated and scary time for many of us. This part of the song that I'm about to read encapsulates that aspect when it says, quote, I can change, but I'm here in my mold. I'm here in my mold. And I'm a million different people from one day

to the next. I can't change my mold. End quote. Being a million different people or feeling like we are, is part of that change. It's part of the evolution, and sometimes parents and friends, they call it a phase. But it's not always just a phase. And as you learn more about Nadia, I think you'll understand why I'm highlighting all this. But generally speaking, college is a time when many people

go through changes and grow as individuals. Let's remember that no matter what point someone is in life, it's okay to change. It's okay to decide something does or doesn't suit us anymore, and be patient with our children loved ones as they navigate the symphony of life. You also never know the last time you'll see them, or hug them, or love on them. Nadia really loves spending time listening to music and studying. You could find her in her dorm room doing just that for hours and hours on end. Her sweetmates

always knew when Nadia was there because they could hear her music, especially when it wasn't playing through her headphones, but instead out of her computer. Into the new year in 2008, Nadia was back in classes and striving for perfection, and she a very heavy workload. Her schedule was packed. So she spent a lot of time studying. Her and her sweetmates of course would check in on one another to see how things were going, offer support, hang out, or just go out together and get away. So let's jump forward to later that year. It was March of 2008. The winter season starts in December and it stretches through March in Ottawa and it can be brutal. So even if students wanted to venture out of the dorms,

there's not much to do in freezing cold. I'm talking snowstorms bringing in snow that's waste high in some areas. Of course, there's ice skating, as I mentioned, but the daily temperature is 6 degrees Fahrenheit. That's negative 14 degrees Celsius. But the winter was finally almost over. Once the middle of April comes along, the ice begins to thaw and it warms up leading into the spring and summer months, and that is a lot of fun. It wasn't uncommon not to see students out and about, because it was really cold, but on the morning of March 10th, one of Nadia's sweetmates becomes concerned. She noticed Nadia's music playing loudly the night before, and it didn't stop until the late hours of the night, and then it continued all the way to the next morning when

she came out of her room. So of course, I explained, Nadia had a habit of listening to music and studying her room, but it just seemed off. And I'm sure we all know that feeling like something just seemed off about it. Knowing that Nadia often enjoyed studying while listening to music, her sweetmeats initially just dismissed this as her typical everyday behavior. However, the volume was unusually high, and it seemed excessive even by Nadia's standards. So when the sweetmate knocked on her door and got no answer, she thought that was strange. So she tried to open it, but it was locked. And it was at that point she realized, you know what?

I haven't seen Nadia for at least a day or so. And I'm sure I've been in college. Music like that coming from someone's room or you're trying to do things probably wasn't that pleasant. But of course, she was also concerned for her friend, worried that something might be wrong. They grew more determined to gain entry to her room. So they end up calling the campus security. The security guard comes up to Nadia's room, listens, hears that music, knocks on the door, doesn't get an answer just like the sweetmeats. The music's still going.

It's playing loudly. It's bittersweet symphony on repeat. The security guard decides to get a master key and unlock Nadia's door. When they enter her room, they see her laptop. It's powered on. It's open, but it's locked. Her music's playing, but Nadia isn't there. Everything was in its place, or so it seemed. It looked like she had just stepped out for a moment with the intention of coming right back. Oh, where was she? After security asked Nadia's sweetmates if they had seen her, and they all said they hadn't seen her in about a day,

the head of security decides to reach out to Nadia's parents. Maybe she had a family emergency. She had to leave campus right away, go home, without time to come back and grab all of her things. But it did seem a bit odd that her wallet, with her license was still inside the room, and her phone wasn't there either. So it implied she had taken it with her. The head of security called Muhammad later that afternoon and asked whether he knew where his daughter was. He said no. He thought she was at Carlton. So the security officer informs him, no, no one has seen her going on two days. And Muhammad is shocked. He He can't believe his daughter hasn't been heard from from two days and he's just now being

notified. And we'll get more into that, the timely responses to missing persons and things like that in this video. But he and Deborah stopped what they're doing and took the five-hour, 300-mile drive to campus to look for their daughter. Everyone had been reaching out to her. She wasn't answering her phone or text messages. And it was that night that her phone started to go straight to voicemail.

And that was even more concerning. It just wasn't like Nadia. She kept in touch with her friends and her family, and she would not just leave without telling someone where she was going. Her mother talked to her on a regular basis, and she was not aware of where Nadia could be. Once her parents arrived at the university late Monday, they get in touch with the security department as well as Nadia's sweetmeats. They're all trying to piece together the last time that they remembered seeing her. One of the girls said, she heard the sound of Nadia's door closing between 1120 and 1130 on. Sunday the ninth. This is the same girl that found it to be odd when she woke up the next morning and heard the music playing. Another student said they recalled seeing Nadia leaving the dorm

around 1130 p.m. that same night. But these two eyewitness accounts, they're not that reliable. One, the sweetmate didn't see Nadia. She heard her door close. And the other student wasn't 100% sure that they saw Nadia that night. It could have been another night. Nadia's parents didn't know what to think. There was a lot of thoughts going through. through their minds, there had been a bad snowstorm on Sunday night over a foot of snow fell in an already very cold and snowing and freezing conditions. It's also delayed savings time. So Sunday, March 9, 2008 at 2 a.m., everyone moved their clocks one hour forward to 3 a.m. About 10 hours had possibly gone by without Nadia being in contact with anyone.

So of course, Mohamed and Deborah, they reach out to everyone that they knew, knew their daughter. But being in college, she met so many new friends that her parents did not know. They were not familiar with them. That's a very important aspect of this case. That once someone becomes an adult, things change, especially as far as what they share with their parents, but also the info that is shared about them to their parents. You know the grade school's different. Schools contact the parents right away with any issues, but once someone's an adult, there's no responsibility to keep a parent informed on anything. And that's, That will come into play, as you will see.

Nottia's parents were under the impression that the university had a lot of security measures in place. And there were some. For example, everyone had a key card. It had their picture on it and their name, and it gave them access to their residence hall and other areas of the school where they were permitted. The system kept track of each swipe. There were also CCTV cameras on campus, but it turned out many of them didn't even record.

They were just surveillance-type cameras that security could look at in any moment in real time. And that's not helpful as something happened at another point in time. The cameras that did record, they weren't even in places where you'd want them to be, like outside of the suites or in the hallways. Instead, they were just scattered in different places like the front door to the buildings, which makes sense, but they needed more. There were no cameras outside of the dorm buildings. So if anything had happened to Nadia after she stepped foot out of Prescott Hall, they wouldn't know. And that is disheartening. Plus, at this point, there's no investigation going on.

Students can leave campus, and they do all the time. Noddy is an adult. So at this point, it was left to her parents to find her. So they set out to search everywhere in the surrounding area of the dorm and further. If she left her dorm that night, she could have gotten caught in that storm. On Tuesday, March 11th, Muhammad and Deborah began the search for their daughter. They walked all around campus and all the surrounding areas, including malls, popular locations where students hung out, tourist locations, hoping that someone,

just someone would recognize Nadia and provide them with information about where she could be. Muhammad didn't even want to tell Mark that his sister was missing because at this point he was really hoping that she was going to turn up. He didn't want to worry him, but after 16 hours of searching, they were no closer to understanding where she was. Someone did come forward, saying that they thought they saw Nadia at an on-campus cafeteria called a called Oasis, buying pizza at 8.40 p.m. on Sunday night. Still, that's the same night that were already aware that Nadia had at least been heard in her dorm room, her music, her door closing, and possibly seen leaving. No one had any information after Sunday. She did not show up

for her classes on Monday either. By Wednesday the 12th, it was finally time for security at the university to take this more seriously. It was at that point that they reached out for assistance from the authorities at the Ottawa Police Department. It had been three days now with no signs of Nadia. First things first, the police wanted to gather information about things like what did Nadia look like. She was described as being of Mediterranean descent, five feet eight inches tall,

130 pounds, medium build, with hazel eyes, shoulder length, brown hair with blonde streaks, an eyebrow ring and a tongue ring. She had dark skin and a tattoo on her right stomach in the shape of a bat. Of course, they relayed all that information that we already know about everything they heard from the sweet maids and the head of security, as well as telling the police about Nadia's character, because that's important, that she was a bright, young woman, responsible and hardworking student, and that this wasn't like her. Now Nadia's case was in the hands of the police.

The first thing they did was search Nadia's single dorm room for clues, and they took inventory of the items that were there. The room wasn't big. It didn't take long for them to search. It's not like she brought everything from home. We're talking about a small dorm room. We saw examples. There wasn't much to look for. But they do take note.

Her wallet was still there, which included her license. And it had over $200 in cash in there, and her bus tickets were inside. Her school ID was not found, and neither was her cell phone. I told you her laptop was on, open, and locked. And as they looked at that lock screen, they could see the desktop of her computer. It was just kind of like faded out. And it appeared as though her e-mailed. email was open. Nadia's room seemed frozen in time. It gave the unsettling impression that Nadia

had left in a hurry, leaving important items behind with the expectation of returning right away. The atmosphere was thick with unanswered questions and the police didn't have much to go on. There was no evidence of a struggle, no force entry into her room. It had been locked behind her as she left. When her sweetmates were interviewed, they said that things were normal with Nadia. They didn't hear or see anything out of her. the ordinary, even the music was ordinary. She would frequently play that song, Bitter's symphony, on repeat. They all spent a significant amount of time in their own room studying and working on things for school. They also provided police with the names of other students that they knew hung out with Nadia like Luke Rivette, who we know was very close with her. Next,

was reaching out to all of Nadia's friends. At the same time, Nadia's sudden disappearance had become real to her parents. She was missing. It was devastating. It was devastating. and time to notify her brother about what was going on. It was after midnight before Muhammad had the chance to text his son. All he said was Nadia is missing. And Mark, he's half asleep, he sees a text, he's rubbing his eyes, he's saying, what, what is going on? And that's exactly what Mark texted back, what?

And then sent another text asking, what do you mean she's missing? I can't even imagine getting a message like that. It gives me the chills thinking about it. And Mark got out of bed. He's trying to collect his thoughts and he's rereading his father's text messages. Nadia is missing. Then another text came through. It said Nadia has not been seen in three days and Mark was shocked.

He was confused. He's like, what do you mean that she hasn't been seen for three days? He wasn't understanding. He just didn't know what to think. Where was his sister? Of course, Mark and his father, they spoke about all the details that were known at that time. But there wasn't much. Mark was filled with disbelief.

The gravity of the situation hit him hard. He knew that he had to get to his parents' side as soon as possible. So later that day, he took the drive to Carlton University, and he made that five-hour drive in about three. Obviously, not exactly going the speed limit, but he didn't care. He said, if he was going to get pulled over, he figured this was a good reason to get there fast. Time is always of the essence in a case like this when someone goes missing.

He thought if anyone would understand, It would be the police. When he connected with his dad and Deborah, they brainstormed what they could do. They checked Nadia's bank account. It didn't have any recent activity. She didn't have a credit card, so they wondered how far she would be able to get without her license, her car, her wallet, and money. It really looked like she vanished out of thin air.

But they couldn't help but think that Nadia might have been taken, that she had been forced against her will and that she did not choose to leave. But what if she did? That crossed their minds as well. Could she have just wanted to get away? Even though it didn't seem like her, it was a possibility. Anything was possible at this point.

So they banned together to start their own search in the nearby areas. At this point, additional family members came out to Carlton, including her aunt. They had missing persons flyers made with a picture of Nadia, her description, and all the information about when and where she was last seen. And they spread out.

They passed out flyers all day, every day. Later, they do get a chance to gain access to Nadia's dorm room. It was their first time inside. What stuck out was that police had said, oh, we searched and we took an inventory of anything of evidentiary value. Yet there was her laptop. Open, on, locked. What appeared to be an email on the screen, like she had just sent out a message in the police, they hadn't even collected her laptop for analysis.

That seemed really confusing to her family. But remember, as an adult, the police are under the impression. that without evidence otherwise, Nadia might have just ran away on her own. It's not as though they had a crime scene, for example. But I agree. Not taking the laptop does seem like an oversight, and Nadia's family was not happy. They felt like they had a lack of support from the Ottawa police. Her parents were essentially leading this investigation.

They had boots on the ground. They were asking people in the community if they've seen her. They were going all over the city looking for her, hoping that somehow it was true, that she had just left for a couple days to decompress because of her college workload. The police basically told them that what they do is they ask the public for help first. They see if they can get any tips to lead them in a direction. So that's what they were doing.

The police were reaching out to media and reporters, and they even did interviews with Nadia's mom and dad. By March 14th, the first article about Nadia's disappearance was posted by the Ottawa Citizen newspaper. It talked about how Muhammad and Deborah were in the city that they were. unfamiliar with, and they were frantically searching for their daughter that the couple had made their way to the Redou Center, a place where they were told that teenagers like to hang out, and they described their daughter as chatty, outgoing, fun-loving, and she loved to go shopping, so they were hoping that they would see her in that crowd, but they didn't. The newspaper also posted this picture of Nadia.

By now, many of her close friends had been informed that she had been missing. Sergeant Peter Linegar of the missing persons unit was assigned to Nadia's case. He told the Ottawa citizen that she didn't tell anyone where she was going and she had never done anything like this before. It was very out of character. However, that wasn't exactly true. And we're going to get to that in a moment. The sergeant had already spoken to a few of Nadia's friends who informed him that they had spoken to her that weekend and she posted on Facebook the night she was last seen. The article also revealed that Deborah had spoken to her daughter about a week before she disappeared. But she was very busy with classes, and Deborah knew she needed to give her her space. She didn't think anything of it when she didn't

hear from her over the week. Her friend Luke was also interviewed by the paper. He told the reporter that Nadia was, quote, a caring person, a loving person, and she sticks up for what she believes in. She's stunningly beautiful, and she's intelligent, end quote. Muhammad said while sobbing, quote, I haven't slept for two days and I haven't eaten for two days. I can't stop crying day and night, thinking of her in this weather with no money and no food. I know the longer time goes by, the less chance of finding her alive, especially in this weather. End quote.

Mark was very concerned about his father. He had never seen him like this. And I have some news clips of Mohammed desperately passing out He's begging the public to come forward if they know anything. This man is broken. And as a parent and a sister and a friend, it's hard to watch. I can feel his pain, and I'm sure you can see how hardbroken he was. Hundreds of people began coming forward to aid the search for Nadia over the next few days.

They had helicopters circling the area. There were canines brought out to try to locate her scent. And Muhammad and Deborah, they were out there every single day for hours and hours, no matter how bad the weather was. was. Muhammad was doing interview after interview on news stations. He was on TV on multiple channels begging the public for help. When he was asked if he thought there was any chance and Nadia left on her own, he said she wouldn't even go out in the rain. So he couldn't imagine that she would go out in snow like this. She hadn't taken any money out of her bank account, so it just didn't make sense. He couldn't make it make sense. She was way too smart not to be

prepared if that was her decision to leave. Mark being her brother and maybe close, Closer to understanding a teenager than his parents thought if she did leave, maybe she went to hang out with someone to get some fresh air. It wouldn't be hard to imagine that something happened to her in that snowstorm. There were so many places that she could be. She could be in a ditch underneath the snow. It was actually hoping that she did leave on her own, that she just decided, in his words, to take a bus to Miami or something.

He didn't want the truth to be something more sinister. There were moments when her family even hoped she had been taken because then there was a she was still alive, but if she was under that snow somewhere, stuck because of that storm, that is what their nightmare was. However, just as Muhammad had said, days went on, and it got harder to hold on to that hope. A Facebook group was created around this time. It was called Nadia Kajuji, Help Us Locate Her. Her story was gaining traction. It was all over the Toronto News, including City News, Toronto Star, Toronto Sun, CTV News, and more. Many people were coming, to that Facebook page to provide clues, assumptions,

even suggestions like this one that said to contact the psychic. His name Robert Lindblad, who apparently was very well known in the area for being able to help families of missing people. You can leave your thoughts about that below. Personally, I have no idea. I mean, aliens are apparently real, so what do I know, right?

And the family was desperate. So Mark, being part of the Facebook group, he did reach out to that psychic. He was hoping that he could get something useful from him, anything. And apparently this medium, this psychic, he ran a free international service to find the whereabouts of missing children and their kidnappers. And murders. That's what's on his website right here. But then on that site, it says it's $10 a question. So it's a little bit confusing, but it's very out of date. So I have no idea if this guy is still in business today. Luke Rivett was also

interviewed by the police. And there was something very interesting, he revealed. Though he and Nadia were very close friends, he wanted to be more. He was actually in love with her. He said that he never told her about his feelings, but at the time that she went missing, he admitted that they were in an argument, that he had betrayed her trust by reading her diary. And that's understandable. That could very well be considered very violating to someone, that they got a peek at your deepest thoughts without your consent. And I can see why Luke would be compelled to do so, considering he wanted to be with Nadia. So maybe he wanted to know how she felt before he put himself out there. But this had occurred a day or so before she went missing. He could have been one of the last

people to see her. Luke turns over his cell phone. Police see that Nadia sent him at least 47 text messages that Sunday night prior to her not being seen in her dorm room. 19-year-old Luke had also admitted that the last time he saw her was the day before she went missing. According to him, they took a walk on Rito Canal Park. She was angry with him. He said that they just talked and walked and shared and it was beautiful out there and he didn't want to assume the worst. He said, you know, she just might need time away from people. Well, all that sounds a little suspicious. And when Noddy's family heard this, they thought so too, here's this guy who has deep feelings for her, went through her

very personal diary, she's upset before she disappeared, and then he was with her the day prior, and he wasn't coming forward to speak to them about any of it. Why, they wondered, what had he read in that diary and where was it now? The leatherbound journal had not been found in her dorm room and that. I knew about investing, but I really didn't know how to go about it. Meet Corey, a wealthfront client. With Wealthfront, it could put money in and it would automatically distribute it into a diversified portfolio. Then it starts to compound. The compounding compounds on the compounding. Just let it run, and it's great. Over one million clients trust wealthfront. Get started at wealthfront.com. Client was paid $1,000 for their testimonial, creating a conflict of interest. Outcomes vary.

Investment management and advisory services provided by Wealthfront Advisors LLC and SEC registered investment advisor. Investing involves risk to principle regardless of the strategy used. Task performance does not guarantee future results. Seemed odd too. Why would that be missing?