Summary
A violent home invasion in Jacksonville, Florida, on May 17, 1999, leads to the tragic murder of Saad Kowaf, a 39-year-old grocery store owner. The incident unfolds when his wife, Yasmin, receives a frantic call from Saad, who is attacked in their garage by two assailants—a man and a woman. Yasmin, who witnesses the attack, is subsequently assaulted and bound with duct tape as the intruders demand money. After managing to free herself, she calls 911, but Saad succumbs to his injuries shortly after being transported to the hospital.
The investigation reveals that Saad had been the subject of a money laundering probe due to suspicious banking activity related to his grocery store, Forest Discount Foods. Detectives suspect that the attackers may have known about Saad's cash deposits, indicating a possible motive linked to his business. Despite the extensive investigation, which includes DNA analysis and neighborhood canvassing, the case goes cold as no suspects are identified.
Years later, advancements in DNA technology lead to new developments in the case. In 2014, a complete DNA profile from the crime scene is entered into the national database, but it yields no matches. The investigation is reopened, and detectives explore various leads, including a potential connection to a man whose son had violent tendencies. However, these leads do not result in any breakthroughs. The case remains unsolved, leaving the Kowaf family and the community seeking justice for Saad's murder.
Show Notes
Episode 213 Saad Kawaf Part 1 of 2 The May 1999 home invasion robbery and murder of Jacksonville, FL businessman Saad Kawaf was an unusual crime, with two perpetrators and a surviving witness. The leads were plentiful – the survivor saw the killer and his accomplice’s faces; a witness saw the getaway vehicle; and there was DNA. The investigation into Saad’s financial activities by a task force also provided a promising avenue of investigation, until the leads fizzled and the case went cold. Twenty years later, when Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office authorities used IGG to finally get answers, they were truly shocking, pointing to one of the last people anyone would have suspected. Few cases have outcomes as bleak as this one – but at least, justice was served at long last.
More from DNA: ID
Caroline Bolen’s 1988 death in Silsbee, TX presented a real conundrum to investigators. No one, including the pathologist, was even certain that her death was a homicide. “Carol” had been found dead in her bed, nude and posed, with blood on the bedding and her young son alive next to her. The bizarre case had suspects coming out of the woodwork, but police followed the evidence, which led to none of the men in Caroline’s life. When IGG finally pointed to Caroline’s killer, the answer was surprising… because he had been there all along.
In 1995, a violently murdered Jane Doe who came to be known as the Danforth Lady was found under a building excavation at the old Robertson Motors in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. TPS efforts to identify her went nowhere, even when they finally obtained DNA, which was degraded and heavily contaminated due to the age of the remains. Earlier this year, a final attempt to extract precious genetic material paid off, and Danforth Lady was identified as Mary McLeod Davidson Moffatt. TPS Det. Const. Mike Kelly was able to reconstruct Mary’s story, and to identify a prime suspect in her murder. The answers were shocking, but also meant justice at long last for Mary.
In 2001, an 84 year old woman was raped in her home in Manchester, CT. In 2004, another Manchester woman was raped. In 2007, another. In 2008, a fourth woman from the neighboring town of Vernon was victimized. A recognizable pattern emerged, and investigators knew they had a serial rapist on their hands. But they didn’t know who he was. A John Doe warrant provided probable cause for arrest, but 10 years elapsed before IGG gave a name to John Doe. And the identity of the suspect would shock the community to its core.