Updated October 23, 2022
Some of Niholimbele's tattoos
- Medical Conditions Niholimbele started showing signs of mental illness, including anger issues, mood swings and delusions, beginning when he was about twelve or thirteen years old. In young adulthood he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and prescribed medication. He functioned well when he was taking his medicine, but he didn't take it consistently. During the periods when he was not taking his medication, Niholimbele would often become hospitalized or get arrested.
- Distinguishing Characteristics African-American male. Black hair, brown eyes. Niholimbele may use the last names Musengesenge and/or Sibomana. He has a mole on his forehead above his eyebrow, and numerous tattoos on his neck, chest, arms, hand and legs; photos of some of them are posted with this case summary. The tattoos include the name "Felista" on his right wrist, the name "Jean Angel" on his right forearm, the word "Family" on his right arm, and the name "Mathias" on his left wrist.
Details of Disappearance
Niholimbele was last seen at 5:00 p.m. on August 30, 2017. He told his wife he was going to run an errand, and a friend dropped him off at a house in the vicinity of the 5500 block of west Flower Street in Phoenix, Arizona.
Niholimbele was supposed to call his friend when he wanted to be picked up, but he never did and has never been heard from again. His family reported him missing on September 1.
The house where Niholimbele was last seen was connected to associates of a drug cartel, and a few months after he disappeared, a man was murdered there in a drug-related homicide. It's unclear whether the death it has any connection to his case, but police think some of the same people involved in that murder could have also been connected to Niholimbele's disappearance.
His wife stated he used marijuana and had a medical card for it, but that he didn't use illegal drugs. In spite of his struggles with bipolar disorder, it was uncharacteristic of him to be out of touch with his family.
Niholimbele's family, which includes his parents and eight siblings, is from the African nation of Burundi. They fled the country during the genocide against the Tutsi people in the 1990s when his mother was pregnant with him, and he was born in a refugee camp in Tanzania. They moved to the United States when Niholimbele was four years old.
Although he had a green card, Niholimbele never became a U.S. citizen. At one point he was nearly deported, but the immigration court decided to let him stay because of his mental health issues, because of his wife and child who are both American citizens, and because of the fact that he isn't a citizen of any other country.
His wife stated their marriage was good and he adored their three-year-old daughter, and she thinks he may have been murdered. His case remains unsolved.
