‘An honest, intelligent, and persistent individual’: Family of man whose remains were found by the FBI in Methuen releases statement
Zakhia Charabati, 52, had been missing for about four months before he was found.
The family of a man whose remains were found behind a building in Methuen with help from the FBI has released a statement on his death.
Zakhia Charabati, 52, of Manchester, New Hampshire, was found buried behind 145 Milk St. on July 9. He had been reported missing by his family about four months prior on March 14.
On Friday, the FBI had no further updates on the investigation into Charabati’s death, other than to say it remains ongoing.
In the statement, emailed to Boston.com by a spokesperson for the family, Charabati, who went by the nickname “Zak,” was described as “an honest, intelligent, and persistent individual.”
Charabati grew up in Lebanon and eventually made his way to New England, where he had worked as a distributor for Cedar’s Mediterranean Food in Haverhill. He also lived with cholesteatoma, which led to deafness, nerve damage, and paralysis on the right side of his face, the statement said.
“His generosity and compassion were known by all who he met,” his family said.
Read the full statement:
As we mourn the death of our beloved Zakhia (Zak), we would like to thank our friends, neighbors and the community for their help and support. Hundreds of law enforcement personnel from Massachusetts and New Hampshire, local, state and federal authorities risked their lives during the pandemic, going above and beyond, searching for evidence and leads to find Zak. Our appreciation and gratitude for their service to our family can never be overstated.
Zak was an honest, intelligent, and persistent individual. In his youth, he was accepted to the American University of Beirut’s medical school but could not attend due to the civil war raging in Lebanon. Continuing his pursuit of emigrating from Lebanon in search of a better future, he studied computer science at Notre Dame University – Louaize. His journey brought him to Montreal, Quebec where he lived and worked near his older sisters in a vibrant Maronite Lebanese community.
Zak’s Maronite faith and his passion for its beautiful expression allowed him to sing for church choirs since his childhood. Singing hymns of faith brought him and those listening peace and spiritual connectivity. After moving to the United States, he worked as a distributor for Cedar’s Mediterranean Food in Haverhill, Massachusetts. His generosity and compassion were known by all who he met.
Zak overcame the struggles caused by a cholesteatoma that caused nerve damage, deafness and paralysis of the right side of his face. Despite enduring multiple surgeries and long distance travel to meet medical experts and receive treatments for over a decade, he managed to maintain appreciation for the positive aspects of life and the blessings he still had.
We are relieved and thankful that, after four months of extensive search, our beloved Zak was found. We are confident that the authorities will find those who committed this horrific and unwarranted crime and bring them to justice. We encourage anyone with any information about Zak’s death to immediately contact the FBI or their local police department so that those responsible can be brought to justice.
We will be forever thankful of the efforts of those allowing us to lay Zak to rest and to join his mother and two older brothers in the Kingdom of Heaven. Arrangements are being made with Farah Funeral Home and St. Anthony’s Maronite Church in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
The Charabati family appreciates the media’s interest in this case but again asks for privacy as we continue to mourn.
