Who Was Amina Alhaj-Omar? Ohio State Student Found Dead in Quarry

The weeks-long search for a missing criminology graduate ended tragically when her body was found in a quarry, her grieving family revealed this weekend.

Amina Alhaj-Omar, a 25-year-old who was studying for her master's degree at Ohio State University, vanished back on June 10, sparking a huge police search in Columbus, Ohio. But according to a Facebook post by her sister, Zenab Omar, the family laid their loved one to rest on Sunday. An online obituary said Alhaj-Omar had been "found deceased" in a quarry on Wednesday last week. It was not clear exactly when, where, or how she was found, and no cause of death was given in the statement, which paid tribute to the student as "a soft and kind soul that demonstrated the utmost compassion and empathy for any person that crossed her path." Columbus Division of Police confirmed to Newsweek that Alhaj-Omar had been found, but declined to reveal details about her death at this time.

According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), some 600,000 people go missing in the U.S. every year and an estimated 4,400 unidentified bodies are subsequently recovered. Analysis by respected number-crunching website Statista revealed that 100,492 men over the age of 21 went missing in 2021, while 62,552 women over 21 went missing that year. While active investigations may eventually be wound down, unsolved missing person cases are never closed. For example, investigators are hoping to finally solve several cold cases dating back decades, after several bodies were found recently when waters subsided on Lake Mead on the border between Nevada and Arizona.

Back in Ohio though, Alhaj-Omar's case has the saddest of endings.

The initial missing person's search was launched after her sister raised the alarm, fearing that Alhaj-Omar may be suffering from a mental health crisis, according to a report by Ohio State's student newspaper The Lantern. The 25-year-old was last seen on video surveillance footage at a gas station in S. High Street, which reportedly showed her carrying two knives.

Her car was later found abandoned, and police moved their search to a large quarry that is part of the Olen Corporation's Columbus plant, amid reports of a female trespasser. Nevertheless, weeks passed without any further sightings as the police continued to hunt for her and posted Twitter appeals for the public's help.

Andrés Antequera, Public Relations Specialist for the Columbus Division of Police told Newsweek in an emailed statement on Monday: "The Columbus Division of Police discovered the body of a female in south Columbus on July 12, 2023. The Franklin County Coroner's Office was able to positively identify the body as Amina Alhaj-Omar, a local college student whose family reported her missing on June 10, 2023. Officers found the body of the 25-year-old in a remote area where she was last reportedly seen. The investigation into her disappearance is now closed by the Columbus Division of Police."

Zenab Omar took to Facebook on Sunday and wrote: "Thank you for everyone who shared my sisters story. She will forever be missed. Today me and my family will be burying Amina. Prayers are appreciated." Dozens of people flocked to the comments section to share their condolences with the family. Omar also shared a link to an online obituary posted on Cook & Son-Pallay Funeral Home's website.

The statement paid tribute to the young woman and revealed details about her short life. The news about her death began to break across the news networks on Monday, including ABC 6 which reported that Columbus Police Department had confirmed the body had been identified as Alhaj-Omar.

Who Was Amina Alhaj-Omar?

Alhaj-Omar excelled academically and obtained her bachelor's degree in criminology from Ohio State University before going on to undertake a master's degree. She had interned with Community Refugee and Immigration Services, working closely with crime victims, according to the obituary, which added: "She worked hard to pursue her admirable dream of fighting for people."

She was extremely family-oriented and enjoyed a close relationship with her parents, Hassan Alhaj-Omar and the late Theresa Alhaj-Omar, and her four sisters.

The obituary went on to say: "Most people who truly knew Amina immediately remember her laugh - it was contagious and brought happiness to everyone in the room. She had a way of making people feel comfortable and welcomed in any situation. Her personality was simply beautiful - a bubbly, shy, caring, funny, and loving human being inside and out."

With regard to her death, the obituary said simply: "We also wanted to take the time to explain the events that occurred leading to Amina's death while respecting the family's privacy. Many already know that Amina had been a missing person since June 10, 2023. After an extensive search, on July 12, 2023, they found Amina deceased in the quarry nearby."

The family ended the obituary with a request for people's prayers, and added: "We are devastated by our immense loss, but we also thank God every single day for blessing us with the privilege of knowing and loving her beautiful soul for the last twenty-five years."