Medical examiner: Farmington Hills teen's mother died before fall from mansion window

16-year-old boy charged with second-degree murder

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – A 16-year-old Farmington Hills boy accused of killing his mother, who was found dead after falling out a window of their mansion, was in court Friday for a preliminary examination hearing. 

Nada Huranieh, 35, was found dead Aug. 21 on the patio outside the family's home on Howard Road near Drake Road. Police said they were called to the home around 6:40 a.m. and pronounced the woman dead.

Officers originally believed Huranieh's fall from the second-story window was an accident, but days later her son was taken into custody when evidence indicated her death had been intentional. New testimony Friday from the medical examiner claims Huranieh was killed before she fell from the window. 

Muhammad Altantawi, 16, was taken into custody by Farmington Hills police and was being held at the Oakland County Children's Village, which is a juvenile detention center in Farmington Hills. A warrant for second-degree murder was issued for the teen. He was denied bond and told to surrender his passport.

Meanwhile, Huranieh's husband is facing illegal billing of Medicare and health care fraud in case pending out of Canton Township. 

First responder takes the stand

Farmington Hills police Officer Nathan Jordan was the first officer on the scene responding to a call of a woman have fallen from nearly 30 feet. 

He said Altantawi was over kneeling over his mother, giving chest compressions and talking to dispatch on a cell phone.

An open window could be seen immediately above where the victim was found and blood was not found near the body.

“The positioning of her body was not what you would expect falling out of the window,” Jordan said.

Jordan asked Altantawi several questions at the scene. Altantawi told the officer he hadn’t seen his mother since the prior night. Jordan said the boy didn't show any emotion during the series of questions.

Medical examiner: She was killed before fall

Dr. Ruben Ortiz-Reyes performed the autopsy and the court about his findings.

He said the cause of the death was asphyxiation and a contributing cause was blunt force head trauma. Ortiz-Reyes said he found a bruise on Huranieh’s lower lip and that the wound was inflicted while she was alive. The injuries on the body caused by the fall were sustained after she was killed, according to the medical examiner.

The medical examiner believes Huranieh’s fall happened post-mortem. 

The preliminary hearing was adjourned until the defense is prepared to cross-examine the medical examiner.


About the Authors:

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.

Priya joined WDIV-Local 4 in 2013 as a reporter and fill-in anchor. Education: B.A. in Communications/Post Grad in Advanced Journalism