NC woman found dead in Jordan Lake died from gunshot wound, autopsy finds

A woman allegedly murdered by her husband last summer died of a single gunshot wound to the back, probably before she was dumped in Jordan Lake, according to an autopsy report.

The body of 34-year-old Hadeel Ghadhanfer Hikmat was found in the water near the Farrington Point Boat Ramp on Aug. 29, 2023, The News & Observer has previously reported.

Investigators found a single 9 mm casing, blood spatter and an earring matching other jewelry she was wearing on a bridge about 700 yards from where she may have been initially injured or dumped, according to the autopsy from the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Omar Matthew Ibrahim Drabick, 34, of Apex was charged Sept. 19, 2023, after a weeks-long investigation with first-degree murder and concealment of an unnatural death, according to the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office.

Hikmat, whose body was spotted by a fisherman in a boat, was wearing a pearl necklace when she was pulled from the water. The Sheriff’s Office released a sketch of her, along with a photo of the earring, as it worked to identify her.

The autopsy findings, which were dated July 26 and based on an exam performed last September, say drowning was an unlikely factor in Hikmat’s death.

“There were no overt signs of such at autopsy,” it states, “and the severity of the gunshot wound injuries makes it likely that she would have died prior to submersion having a chance to significantly contribute.”

Drabick, a former substitute teacher for Wake County Public Schools, stopped working for the district in June 2023, a school system spokesperson told The N&O last year..

This story was originally published July 29, 2024 at 4:04 PM with the headline "NC woman found dead in Jordan Lake died from gunshot wound, autopsy finds."