'A soft, kind soul.' Missing Ohio State student's sisters aren't giving up hope

Amina and Zenab Alhaj-Omar grew up practically as twins.

The sisters, almost exactly a year apart, got presents on one another's birthdays — just over two weeks apart — and celebrated at the same time.

So, when Amina, 26, stopped answering Zenab’s texts earlier this month, she got concerned.

Then, the 24-year-old realized her older sister’s phone was off and texted their eldest sister, Miriam, to go check on Amina at the apartment that Zenab and Amina had shared for years.

Miriam, 28, found Amina’s purse outside the apartment, but no Amina.

“Right when she texted me I was like, 'something’s wrong,'” Miram told The Dispatch. “I knew something was wrong.”

Zenab, who at the time was on a trip overseas for a few weeks, agreed.

“It’s like sister instinct,” she said, and she flew home from Qatar early.

Missing since June 10

Amina, whose 26th birthday was Thursday, has been missing since June 10, when she was last confirmed seen at a stone quarry on the city’s South Side. Miriam said police found her jacket, shoes and cellphone on the property.

The sisters said police think she could've gone in the quarry pond, believed to be very deep. Miriam said Amina loves to swim.

Police ended their weeks-long active search for her on Thursday, though they are still investigating the case.

Before she disappeared, Amina was studying social work at Ohio State University, worked as a server at a local restaurant and had interned with the victims of crime program at Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS) in the spring. Her sisters describe her as someone who works hard, is busy, and focused on school and work.

Despite police reports saying Amina could be dangerous because she was in possession of two kitchen knives, Miriam said that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“She would never hurt anybody or even herself intentionally,” Miriam said.

She thinks the two kitchen knives police say her sister was seen with while at a BP gas station on the South Side on the morning of June 10 were for protection.

Police described her behavior at the gas station as "very unusual," and Zenab said it's clear from the state of her apartment that her behavior was odd.

"You could just tell she was going through a crisis," she said.

Reporting Amina missing

Miriam called the police after going to her sister’s North Side apartment in the early morning hours of Saturday, June 10.

With police help, Miriam found her sister’s car left on the side of Interstate 270 on the city’s Far South Side. Police said it had been in a minor collision, though the airbags weren't deployed, and they didn't think anyone was harmed.

Miriam said the right front tire was missing and the gas cap was open, so she wondered if her sister ran out of gas.

After seeing her sister's car, Miriam said she took the nearest exit off the interstate and ended up at a BP gas station on South High Street, where she showed her sister’s photo to the clerk, who said she had been there.

That was one of the last confirmed sightings of Amina. Behind the gas station, camera footage showed Amina going into a small outbuilding with bathrooms in it and then going beyond those, where a large sand, gravel and limestone quarry is located. She was spotted the morning of June 10 around 8 a.m. by staff of the Olen Corporation, which owns the quarry, but hasn’t been seen since.

In the intervening weeks, police used helicopters, drones, horses, ATVs, dogs and foot searches to try and locate Amina. They also deployed a boat with sonar and divers at the quarry.

The sisters said they have done everything they can to find Amina. They posted flyers around the South Side, visited homeless camps to see if people have seen her, and are trying to spread the word that she’s missing.

They hope people will still call police if they see Amina or have information about where she is.

“They will pursue leads,” Miriam said of Columbus police. “She’s still a missing person.”

Amina wanted to help others

Zenab and Miriam describe their sister as very caring. Amina is “wanting to help people any way she could,” said Zenab, who is a traveling nurse.

"She's a soft, kind soul," Miriam said. "She's really sensitive and emotional. ... She's a really good person. She will stretch herself in order to make someone's life easier."

Amina was in nursing school at one point before deciding it wasn’t for her, but still wanting to help others. She went to Ohio State for an undergraduate degree in criminology before pursuing her master’s in social work.

She likes to workout and cook, and has often picked up serving shifts at local restaurants or driven for Door Dash.

“The past year or so of her life has been work-focused and school-focused,” Zenab said.

Not in the same frame of mind

Amina struggled with mental health problems in the past, though Miriam and Zenab declined to name her diagnosis to protect her privacy.

Five years ago was when they first realized something was wrong. Amina was acting very paranoid and fearful and was hospitalized for a few days. She wanted to go on walks and get away from others, Zenab said.

Zenab now thinks their mother’s death may have triggered her then. This time, the sisters think something triggered Amina’s symptoms again, though they don’t know what it was.

“She is dealing with mental health problems,” Miriam said. “She isn’t in the same frame of mind that she would (normally) be.”

Miriam thinks Amina left Friday night to go for a drive and that she just wanted to get away. Zenab said Amina likely went into the quarry to isolate herself from others.

“We’re hoping someone finds her, or if she’s with someone, maybe she’s out of state and no one knows about this news and they’re helping her, we’re hoping,” Zenab said. “And when they return her, she has family waiting for her. We’re going to seek treatment for her, we’re going to take care of her.”

Columbus police Missing Persons unit detectives are asking anyone who has information, or might have seen Alhaj-Omar in the area of S. High St. & Rathmell Rd. since Saturday, June 10, 2023, to call 614-645-2358. Central Ohio Crimestoppers is also offering a cash reward for information leading to her location. Tips can be made by calling (614) 461-TIPS.

dking@dispatch.com

@DanaeKing

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Sisters await return of Ohio State student who went missing June 10