Autopsy Finds Injuries to Girl’s Body; Father Sought

An autopsy performed Wednesday on a 5-year-old girl whose body was found in the Normal Heights apartment where she lived with her father showed the child suffered traumatic injuries, but the exact cause of death will not be known for several weeks, a deputy coroner said.

Meanwhile, San Diego homicide detectives are seeking the girl’s father, Ibrahim Mubarak, 38, as a suspect in her death, Sgt. Hank Olais said Wednesday. Mubarak, a former substitute teacher with the San Diego Unified School District and the Sweetwater Union High School District, has not been seen in about two weeks, Olais said.

The body of Julianna Cathleen Olson was discovered in bed by the manager of the building in the 4600 block of Wilson Avenue on Tuesday afternoon. Juanita Morin, the manager, entered the two-bedroom apartment after neighbors complained that a strong odor was coming from the dwelling.

Death Was Homicide

Deputy Coroner Penne Hammerstead said the death was classified a homicide. She said that although trauma to the child’s body--which was decomposing--was evident, it is too early to tell whether she died of those injuries. Results of blood and tissue studies could take anywhere from 3 to 12 weeks, she said.

Hammerstead said the body was so decomposed that it was difficult to determine how long the girl had been dead, but she estimated that the death occurred one to three weeks ago.

Olais said several people who know Mubarak have contacted police, including one person who reportedly heard Mubarak say about a week and a half ago that he was thinking about moving to another city in search of steady employment.

Found in Bed

Detectives outside the home Wednesday said the second-floor apartment was empty except for a few household appliances. The girl was found lying in bed, in a nightgown and covered by a blanket as if she had been sleeping, authorities said.

A private investigator, who was hired by the girl’s grandmother recently because of concern for the child’s safety, said Mubarak had been charged with child abuse and endangerment in late 1986 but that those charges were dropped because of insufficient evidence.

The girl’s maternal grandmother, Betty Olson, had been involved in a custody battle with Mubarak since the death of Julianna’s mother, Cathleen, several years ago.

Kathryn Ashworth, an attorney who represented Betty Olson in an October custody hearing, said a Superior Court judge granted Mubarak custody of the child. She said Olson got the girl on alternate weekends.

However, Ashworth said Olson was told about two weeks ago that the child would not be making her regular visits because she was going on a trip to Los Angeles with her father.

Mubarak married Cathleen Olson in 1981, while she was pregnant with Julianna. The couple underwent a separation in three weeks and were divorced in September, 1982. Olson died when the child was 16 months old.

Over the years, Mubarak, who was educated in Minnesota and Amman, Jordan, had worked as a substitute English teacher. He had been employed as a substitute teacher by the Sweetwater Union High School District from September, 1985, to March 8 of this year, when he quit, said John L. Rindone, assistant superintendent for personnel. He said Mubarak gave no reason for leaving.

Peggy Eddy, assistant personnel director for the San Diego Unified School District, said Mubarak had worked for the school district since 1982, but had not been in a classroom since May, 1985. She said that last October he had resubmitted an application as a substitute teacher but turned down assignments on Dec. 9 and 10.