Murder Suspect Fled the Country
On August 21st, 1982, Salwa Isaac was found dead in a ditch along the roadside in Mundy Township near Flint by two women riding horses. She had been reported missing by colleagues who said she had missed several days of work. Law enforcement were able to determine that she had died about a week before being found.At the time, police quickly turned their attention to Isaac’s husband, Jeries Y. Qumsyeh. Apparently the couple had a volatile relationship, with multiple instances of violence between them. It finally resulted in divorce. Within days of her discovery, police found blood and tissue inside Qumsyeh’s 1976 Ford Torino and contacted him, requesting that he come in for questioning.
He agreed, but on the day that his interview was scheduled, the Jordanian national never showed up. Police received a note claiming that he had an immigration hearing scheduled in Detroit and would come in for questioning later that same day. But once again, he never showed up. And police soon discovered that he had fled back to Jordan.
In addition to the state’s murder charges, Qumsyeh was also faced with federal charges for fleeing prosecution. At the time, the Genesee County Prosecutor’s Office attempted to extradite him back to the U.S. from Jordan to face murder charges. Isaac’s relatives even offered to cover the cost of extradition. But Jordan and the U.S. do not have an extradition agreement, and Qumsyeh remained free in his homeland.
Then, inexplicably, in 2011, he was detained while attempting to enter Canada. U.S. authorities have no idea why he was attempting to get into Canada, but they were only too happy to have an opportunity to put him behind bars in the U.S. and bring him back to face the murder charges.
However, this was easier said than done. The extradition proceedings took a total of four years, and included having to appeal to Canada’s Supreme Court. But on January 7th, Qumsyeh finally crossed the border in the custody of U.S. Marshalls, and was placed in the Genesee County Jail.
At his most recent court hearing, Qumsyeh informed the Judge that he had no money and would need a court-appointed attorney. He is being charged with first degree murder, which under Michigan law, carries a possible life sentence if convicted. He is currently being held in the Genessee County Jail, and was not granted bail due to his prior history of having fled the country.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 29th in the Genesee County District Court before Judge Mark Latchana. After more than 30 years, it will be interesting to see what becomes of this case.