THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 18, 1995 TAG: 9505180694
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JACK DORSEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
The Navy has expanded its search nationwide for a sailor missing from her Norfolk-based ship nearly four weeks, saying she simply would not have left on her own.
A 13-passenger Dodge van also remains missing, adding more mystery to the plight of the 20-year-old woman, regarded as a stellar Navy performer.
Investigators plan an aerial search of surrounding waters again today in hopes of locating the van.
Seaman Apprentice Fatimah Jean Khan, assigned to the oiler Merrimack, is listed as an ``involuntary missing person,'' according to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
Khan, a Baltimore native with Pakistani roots, disappeared April 24 from Norshipco's Berkley shipyard, where her ship was undergoing repairs.
Khan was standing duty about 9 that evening and was told by her chief to see that government vehicles parked in a lot near the ship were locked, said Wayne Bailey, senior agent in charge of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in Norfolk.
Investigators found that a white, 13-passenger 1990 Dodge van was missing from the lot, along with the keys to all the vehicles that Khan had taken with her for the security check.
Her belongings, including cash, checkbook and two pocketbooks, were found in her locker aboard the ship, Bailey said.
Khan, considered a good worker, didn't know how to drive, family members told investigators.
Divers initially searched the water near the ship for the missing van but found nothing. Bailey said a more coordinated search, using aircraft and ground units, is now planned.
Investigators have worked on a number of tips since Khan disappeared but have turned up nothing.
No one at the shipyard's security gate remembered seeing Khan or the van leave that evening, Bailey said. However, the comings and goings of Navy vehicles at the facility are routine and would not attract attention.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service has talked with Khan's family, friends and co-workers and has asked other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to list her as a missing person.
Khan has a civilian husband who lives out of state, Bailey said. Her only relative in Hampton Roads is a brother who also is in the Navy and is stationed in Portsmouth.
She maintained daily contact with her brother until she disappeared, the investigator said.
Khan had entry-level responsibilities on her ship and was not assigned to any security-sensitive duties, Bailey said.
She is 5 feet 3 and 110 pounds, has black hair and brown eyes, and no scars or tattoos. She was last seen wearing an enlisted dungaree uniform, a blue utility jacket and a baseball-style cap with ``USS Merrimack'' on it.
Bailey said the missing van has the number ``93-26560'' on the side. ILLUSTRATION: Seaman Apprentice Fatimah Jean Khan as an "involuntary missing
person."
IF YOU CAN HELP
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is asking that anyone
with information about the case call 1-804-444-7327.
KEYWORDS: MISSINGS PERSONS by CNB