Shivangi Sinha
In August 2017, the remains of Nada Huranieh were discovered at her home in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Initially, police believed her death was a freak accident, but once CCTV footage suggested otherwise, the case shifted into a homicide investigation. It soon emerged that more than a year earlier, Nada had filed for divorce and had also reported a domestic abuse incident involving her husband, Bassel Altantawi. NBC’s ‘Dateline’ episode, ‘The Shadow in the Window,’ explores the early suspicions surrounding Bassel and examines his reaction in the aftermath of Nada’s death in extensive detail.
Bassel Altantawi Was in the Midst of a Divorce From His Wife When She Was Killed
Bassel Altantawi had grown up in Syria, and it was there that he met Nada Huranieh. The two married in 1999 before relocating to Michigan, where Bassel worked as a physician and aimed to establish his medical practice in the US. He raised his three children, Muhammad, Aya, and Sidra, and even purchased a large property in Farmington Hills for the family. However, it has been alleged that Bassel did not approve of the changes he saw in his family’s lifestyle. It has also been alleged that he disapproved of his wife working as a trainer at a gym, as he allegedly believed it was enabling her to stray from their traditions and culture.
On February 14, 2016, Nada contacted the police regarding a domestic incident. When officials responded to their home, Bassel was ordered to leave the residence. A domestic violence charge was filed against him, to which he pleaded no contest, following which he was required to wear a GPS tether. In March of the same year, Nada also began divorce proceedings. By May 2016, Bassel faced additional legal trouble when he was charged with 22 felonies, including nine Medicaid fraud counts and twelve healthcare fraud counts, and was arraigned on a $25,000 bond. The charges alleged that he billed Medicaid and Blue Cross Blue Shield for services he never provided while working at Canton Urgent Care in Canton, Michigan. He ultimately pled guilty to two counts of medical fraud and received a probation sentence.
On August 21, 2017, when Nada’s remains were discovered at her home, police initially considered whether Bassel might have been involved. However, his GPS monitor quickly confirmed that he had not been at the house and thus could not have participated. When investigators uncovered messages between Bassel and his son Muhammad, they learned that Muhammad had long harbored resentment toward his mother and believed she was responsible for the divorce and related issues. Although numerous calls and texts had been exchanged between father and son, no evidence ever indicated that Bassel was involved in the crime in any capacity. As a result, no charges were filed against him.
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Bassel Altantawi Does Not Have Custody of His Children Today
Nada Huranieh had held sole custody of the children after initiating divorce proceedings, but following her death, a DHHS petition for protective custody was initially denied by the court. However, in June 2019, that decision was reversed, and Bassel Altantawi ultimately did not receive custody of his children. His daughter, Aya Altantawi, has spoken about how she confronted her father after the September 2022 hearing and ultimately chose to enter the state system.
In September 2022, when Muhammad Altantawi was being sentenced, Bassel took the stand to deliver what was meant to be a victim impact statement. Instead, he spoke warmly about his son, insisting that Muhammad had done nothing wrong, and made no mention of Nada Huranieh. The judge quickly interrupted him and cut his statement short. Little has been publicly revealed about Bassel since then, though it is believed he is still residing in Canton, Michigan. The University of Tichreen Faculty of Medicine graduate does not appear to be practicing medicine anymore and has largely maintained a low profile over the past few years.
