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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Detectives find car of missing woman at airport where husband left country with one-way ticket

By Jonathan Glover and Will Campbell The Spokesman-Review

The car of an Afghan immigrant reported missing Saturday was discovered at the Spokane International Airport over the weekend – the same airport where her husband left on a plane with a one-way ticket out of the country.

Arezu Z. Kashify, 24, was last seen on May 25 while dropping off her two children at school, according to a news release from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.

Her husband, identified by friends as Wahid Kashify, never returned to pick the children up. Child Protective Services is overseeing their care.

Deputies say Wahid Kashify purchased a single, one-way airline ticket on May 28 and left the United States. The sheriff’s office did not disclose where his plane was destined.

The couple was having marital issues, according to the news release, and deputies have been unable to contact Wahid Kashify.

Detectives seized the vehicle and are processing it to find any evidence in determining if a crime was committed, according to the news release.

Kashify and her husband Wahid Kashify were both living in the U.S. on a special immigration visa for people who worked with the U.S. military. They came to Spokane in 2015 from Afghanistan.

Wahid Kashify earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice at Spokane Community College in 2017 and owns a business called Cougar Taxi, according to the Washington State Department of Revenue.

Ijaz Khel, who owns JR Taxi and worked with Wahid Kashify for about a year, said Monday that Wahid Kashify sent him an email on May 30 – two days after he left the country – that essentially granted him full ownership of Cougar Taxi.

Khel said he did not know anything about Arezu Kashify’s disappearance.

“We don’t know anything about Wahid,” he said. “The business is running but he’s not here.”

The FBI is aware of the case and is standing by to give assistance to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, said Kevin Loader, FBI special agent.

Anyone with information on Arezu’s whereabouts is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233 and use reference No. 10072915.

Correction: This article was updated to accurately state that Wahid Kashify studied at Spokane Community College and earned a degree in criminal justice in 2017.