Randa Jawhari
The Crime
On February 11, 2009, Randa Jawhari was reported missing from her apartment on Shiawassee Ave. in Fenton, MI. She had called her sister at 11:30pm the night before, but no one had heard from her since. Sometime between 11:30pm on the 10th and 7:30am on the 11th, Randa disappeared. She was thought to be wearing only a blue bathrobe that was missing the tie.
The Victim
Randa Jawhari was born in Lebanon, moving to Holly, MI as a child. She later spent time in Florida, Hawaii, and Nevada, then moved back to Michigan to be by her family in Fenton. She was a talented actress, artist, and writer. Randa enjoyed spending time with her family, especially her daughter. Despite health conditions, she was described as peaceful. Siblings remember her free spirited personality and kindness, claiming that she would give her last dollar to anyone without hesitation.
The Cold Case
For the past 15 years, detectives have been working continuously to find Randa, but a lack of evidence has resulted in many dead ends. There were no signs of foul play and no clues as to where she could have gone. She did not have a driver’s license, car, or credit card. Her apartment complex had only one security camera, but the quality of the surveillance footage is poor and does not show a clear view of her apartment door. The Fenton Police Department is working with the FBI in trying to improve the visuals from this footage to identify vehicles passing through the parking lot. Forensic analysis and K9 searches have also not been able to provide any information on what happened that night.
How WMU Cold Case Program Students Are Helping
Seven WMU students have spent approximately 2000 hours assisting the Fenton Police Department in their investigation of Randa Jawhari’s disappearance. Some of the tasks they performed included creating a digital case file, index of people and a timeline, conducting and transcribing interviews, labeling security camera footage, identifying phone numbers and vehicles, creating maps, and shadowing the detective in on-site walkthroughs. Through their work, these students were able to meet and speak with members of Randa’s family, furthering their dedication to solving this case and providing closure.