A Canadian man, Ghussan Iqbal, along with his seven-month-old son, Musa, and two-year-old daughter, Nousaybah, who is also a Canadian citizen, vanished from their residence in northwestern Panama’s rural Bocas del Toro province.
Anyone in Canada or Panama who has been in touch with Iqbal or has information about this missing persons’ investigation is urged to come forward.
Ghussan Iqbal’s brother, Sulman Iqbal, and his sister-in-law, Nagham Azzam Iqbal, take part in a search for the man and his two young children in Panama in the spring of 2025.
During a recent interview with CP24, the couple said that overall, people and government officials in Panama were kind and helpful when they were there, even issuing an Amber Alert.
In a written statement, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) reiterated that it is “aware of the case involving a Canadian citizen and two minor children in Panama.”
“Canada is deeply saddened by the death of one of the minor children and our thoughts are with the family,” spokesperson Thida Ith wrote in an email to CP24.
The federal government department went on to say that consular officials are “actively engaged with local authorities and are providing consular assistance to the family,” adding that no further information can be disclosed due to privacy considerations.
Iqbal’s relatives confirmed to CP24 that while he lived with some mental health issues, Ghussan had spoken with his older brother and his children on video chat just days prior to his disappearance and they saw no signs of any kind of psychosis or concerning behaviour.
However, two days later, he left his home with both of his kids and has not been heard from since, they said.
Both told CP24 that bureaucracy and delays are unending, especially when it comes to getting forensic test results.
“We just feel like there’s no sense of urgency for this case, no thorough investigation,” Nagham said, adding they’ve since learned that what they understood to be true about the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of their brother and his two young children is, in fact, far from it.
The couple stayed there for almost three weeks and before returning home retained a lawyer to act on their behalf and advocate for the search to continue.
‘No Sense of Urgency’
Since coming back to Canada, however, the Iqbals say the search for their loved ones has mostly stagnated and has become a major exercise in frustration, especially when it comes to obtaining information and support from Global Affairs Canada (GAC).
CP24 has also contacted Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand as well as Hamilton Mountain MP Lisa Hepfner, who represents the riding where Iqbal’s family lives, but has not heard back.
Hepfner previously said she became aware of the situation in Panama after one of Iqbal’s family members, who lives in her riding and whom she’s known for several years, reached out to her for help.
The political unrest has since simmered down in that part of Panama and the missing persons investigation continues.
Family Holding Out Hope nHamilton, Ont.
“He had very little wilderness or survival experience,” Nagham said, adding they now strongly suspect that foul play may have occurred as baby Musa was found exactly where Ghussan’s wife said he would be.
‘No Proper Leads’
Sulman said they headed home from Panama with “no real answers.”
“Nothing was adding up to us then and it’s still not adding up.”
Iqbal, a McMaster University graduate, had stayed in Hamilton as recently as the summer of 2024 but relocated to Panama about a year ago with his wife, who is from there, his relatives said.
Sulman added that it’s hard to find any kind of closure when there are no real answers, even if the outcome isn’t what they had hoped and prayed for.
The three went missing in Panama on May 21.
They also say that the wife wasn’t who she purported to be and had at least four identities, lied about her education and ethnic background, and was even seen dressing in different ways from very modestly to wearing more revealing clothing.
“The sequence of events kind of unravelled once we arrived there,” Nagham told CP24 during a recent interview, adding they’ve seen no surveillance footage of Ghussan leaving with his kids.
Nagham added that when she and her husband arrived in Panama they were advised by the police to not trust Ghussan’s wife’s family and quickly found out that advice was warranted as details they were told by his wife and her family about what occurred didn’t make sense and was often changing and inconsistent.
Hamilton, Ont.
“If they’re alive, they’re not living in a dignified way.”
Sulman said he and his family carry a measure of guilt, wondering if they could have done more to keep Ghussan and his children here in Canada and protect and support them.
The family of a Canadian man and his young daughter who have been missing in Panama for six months say all they want is to bring their loved ones home.
The three went missing in Panama on May 21.
Musa’s body was found just over a week later in a river.
Nagham said one of the saddest parts of this whole ordeal has been coming to the realization that their children likely won’t grow up with their cousins.
“We don’t even reach out anymore because it’s not useful,” Nagham said, adding the federal department has made it very clear that if someone goes missing abroad, the onus is on that country to find them.
Nagham and Sulman say they were told by Ghussan’s wife that he “ran away” to the Chinguinola River with his two kids, behaviour they allege was inferred to be precipitated by the state of his mental health.
“(Ghussan and his children) literally disappeared off the face of the earth.” The Iqbals say they just can’t imagine how their brother would navigate the mountainous, treacherous jungle terrain in that region with two little kids in tow.
In a statement issued around that time, Panamanian authorities said the search for Nousaybah continues “without rest,” as does the quest to locate her father.
And while they do still share details about the investigation with them, the Iqbals say investigators in Panama have few resources and are moving at a snail’s pace.
“The reality is we may never really get the full story as to what happened to my brother and niece, but we’re still holding out hope.”
Weeks later, the Procuraduría General de la Nación, Panama’s Attorney General’s office, announced that the body of a baby boy had been found in the nearby Changuinola River.
They confirmed on May 31 that DNA testing determined that the remains are those of Musa.
GAC said the safety and security of Canadian citizens abroad is a “top priority” for the Government of Canada, noting that local law enforcement is responsible for investigating reports of missing persons in their jurisdiction.
CP24 also has a 24-hour news website, cp24.com, which offers news and other content online.
Ownership: CP24 is part of Bell Media, a subsidiary of BCE Inc.
Content: The channel provides 24-hour news coverage for the Toronto area and is often referred to as Toronto’s most-watched specialty channel.
Online presence: A significant amount of its content is also available on its website, cp24.com.
In the days following the disappearance of Iqbal and his children, the man’s brother, Sulman Iqbal and his wife, Nagham Azzam Iqbal, travelled to the central American nation to assist with the search efforts and gather information.
Iqbal, relatives say, left empty-handed, without his phone, wallet, money, or even food.
“We’re not giving up until we hear otherwise.”
Safety, security of Canadians abroad a ‘top priority’: GAC.
He was last seen with his children that day at around 6 a.m. and hasn’t been heard from or seen since, they said.
Additional information on consular assistance is available online in the event a Canadian goes missing abroad, GAC said.
“We have no idea what happened, no proper leads,” he said, adding it has become clear to them that as they learn more and more about the disappearance that the so-called ‘ran-away theory’ doesn’t appear to hold water.
“In Panama, everything is a very slow process,” Sulman said, adding they’d really like the Canadian government to put some pressure on the authorities there to expedite the process.
“I immediately began working with Global Affairs Canada to resolve the situation and remain in close contact with the family.”
“We haven’t even been able to start the process of grieving,” he shared.
CP24 has made several unsuccessful attempts to contact the Procuraduría General de la Nación for an update on the investigation.
CP24 is a Canadian English-language specialty news channel owned by Bell Media.
“We can only communicate with them through email and it takes days to respond.”
To complicate matters further, shortly after the Iqbals left Panama, violent pension reform protests broke out in Bocas del Toro, which is home to several large banana plantations, resulting in the government there declaring a state of emergency.
“I am not at liberty to disclose more due to privacy considerations,” the MP wrote in a May 2025 email to CP24.
“... It’s just very hard to believe that everything’s okay.”
“Of course, we will always hold out hope until there is definite evidence otherwise.”
“... Literally any theory is possible at this point.”
“It’s just really hard to think about that,” she shared.
It is a 24-hour news channel focused on the Greater Toronto Area and is operated alongside the CTV Television Network.
On May 21, Hamilton, Ont.
