Nadia Atwi of Edmonton, Alberta - Missing Person Case Summary

Nadia Atwi - Missing Person Case Summary

Personal Information
Name:	Nadia Atwi (Canada's Missing Case #2017072253)
Aliases:	Nadiq Atwi
Gender:	Female
Year of Birth:	1985
DOB Range:	January 1, 1985 - December 8, 1985
Age at Disappearance:	32
Height:	173 cm / 5 ft 8 in
Weight:	82 kg / 181 lb
BMI:	27.4 (Overweight range)
BMI Explanation: Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated as weight in kg divided by height in meters squared (82 / (1.73)^2 ≈ 27.4). This value falls in the overweight category (25.0–29.9), helping to visualize the person's build as moderately stocky with fuller curves, rather than slim or athletic, which aids in mental reconstruction of their physical appearance for identification purposes.
Eye Color:	Brown
Hair Color:	Black
Disappearance Details
Missing Since:	December 8, 2017 [Friday]
Missing From:	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Last Seen:	At her residence in north Edmonton, Alberta, at approximately 6:30 a.m. between 48th street and 146 avenue.
Circumstances:	Later that day, Nadia's abandoned vehicle was discovered in some bushes on the side of a hill leading into Rundle Park on December 8th, 2017. She was a schoolteacher and mother, last seen in the area of 48 Street and 146 Avenue. Police are concerned for her welfare.
Additional Notes
Nadia was born and raised in Canada but connected to her Lebanese heritage. She was close to her family, including her mother Salwa and father Akram, who lived nearby. She was married with a two-year-old son at the time of disappearance. Family offered a $50,000 reward for information. Facebook Group: Nadia Atwi Clothing:  Jacket Black, Light liner 3/4 length Pants Black, Leggings Shirt Grey, Long sleeve Scar Left Ring Finger

By: Shane Lambert
Original Publication Date: October 08, 2025

Nadia Atwi Missing Person Case Overview

On Friday, December 8, 2017, Nadia Atwi, a 32-year-old kindergarten teacher and mother, vanished from her home in northeast Edmonton, Alberta, under mysterious circumstances. Last seen at approximately 6:30 a.m. near 48th Street and 146th Avenue, Nadia’s disappearance sparked an immediate and extensive search effort that gripped the community.

Later that day, her black Chevy Equinox (license plate BWR 6282) was found abandoned in bushes on a hill leading into Rundle Park, with her phone inside. Despite exhaustive searches, no definitive trace of Nadia has been found, leaving her family and authorities without answers nearly eight years later.

Background and Personal Details

Nadia, born in 1985 to Lebanese-Canadian parents, was a University of Alberta education graduate known for her kindness and dedication. Standing 5’8” (173 cm) and weighing 181 lbs (82 kg), her BMI of 27.4 suggests a moderately stocky build, aiding in visualizing her appearance. She had black hair, brown eyes, and often wore a hijab, though possibly not at the time of her disappearance.

Nadia was married to Ali Fneich and had a two-year-old son, Mohammed, whom she adored. She lived near her parents, Salwa and Akram, and sister Randa, maintaining close family ties. Nadia would text her mother daily but did not on the morning of her disappearance. The mother made three phone calls, none of which were answered.

As a schoolteacher at a private school, she carpooled with her mother, but on the morning she vanished, she left home after telling her husband she was picking up Salwa, yet never arrived at work.

Search Efforts and Initial Investigation

The initial response was robust: hundreds of volunteers, police dogs, and helicopters scoured Rundle Park and expanded to south Edmonton and the University of Alberta campus. Early reports noted Nadia required medication for a mental health condition, which police suggested might cause confusion, though her family emphasized this did not define her.

Her vehicle’s discovery in a ditch on December 8 (one source said it was found about 12:30pm/July 3rd, 2018, Edmonton Journal, but CBC said it was found about 4:30pm) raised concerns, as did her history of brief prior absences, though none lasted this long. By December 14, police described the investigation as “very active,” with Nadia’s husband publicly pleading for her return, highlighting their son’s distress.

Speculation and Local Insights

I agree with the police designation as non-suspicious (Global News).

Those not familiar with Edmonton should note that 6:30am on a December morning will be well before sunrise still. At that time of year, it would not be fully bright out on a cloudless day until well after 9AM. Dawn would be close to 8AM.

If Nadia was abducted, then 6:30am in the morning is a strange abduction time. It would still be quite dark out in Edmonton in December, which could possibly aid an abductor. However, the early morning is not typical for abductions in my research experience for a woman. While children are at increased risk of being abducted during their school commutes, women are usually abducted much later in the day or into the evening. Taken alone, I don't think the time of day is that major but it struck me as a little odd.

The vehicle found in the ditch near Rundle Park is a major clue. I know Edmonton well, in fact, I went to high school just up the road from Rundle Park.

I can't picture an abductor driving into Rundle Park with the abductee's vehicle because Rundle Park is enclosed by the North Saskatchewan River. If you enter Rundle Park, you are entering an enclosed area that you can't drive through. I don't think an abductor would like being trapped in there.

Furthermore, I don't know that an abductor would deliberately run the vehicle off of the road. You can't guarantee your own safety while doing that. There is the possibility that an abductor accidentally ran the vehicle off of the road but then there's that nagging problem: why would an abductor be going to Rundle Park at 6:30am? If you are up to something clandestine, Rundle Park is a trap, not somewhere with an escape route. If you ditch the vehicle there, that's a really long walk back the way you came on a chilly December morning, not to mention what do you do with the body?

The police have consistently treated this as non-suspicious, meaning abduction must be considered a lesser possibility. I do lean away from that possibility myself and will comment no further but plan to return to this MP's case in the years ahead.