Nuseiba Hasan went missing in 2006 — but it took her family nine years to report that she vanished.

Now, Hamilton police homicide detectives are combing over every inch of what used to be her family home in rural Flamborough, and suspect that foul play was involved in the disappearance of the missing 26-year-old woman of Jordanian descent.

It's an extremely bizarre case, involving overseas law enforcement, lost years without an investigation and some uncooperative family members, an ocean away.

Hamilton police Det. Sgt. Peter Thom told reporters Friday morning outside the home that someone from the family alerted police that Hasan was missing in 2015, but he would not specify who. Hasan, he said, had seven siblings. The home was owned by her mother and her father, though her father passed away several years ago.

She seems to have dropped off the face of the earth since 2006, beginning of 2007. - Det. Sgt. Peter Thom, Hamilton police homicide unit

"We have reason to believe that she met with foul play, and this was the last location she was seen at," Thom said. "As with any missing person investigation, we start out with the place the person was last known to be alive."

But details are sketchy. As far as police can piece together, a family member dropped Hasan off at the home one night in the fall of 2006, but when that family member came back for her the next day, she was nowhere to be seen.

Thom couldn't really say why it took the family so long to report her missing. "It's certainly unusual," he said. Police have contacted other government services like social services and the Ministry of Transportation looking for records, but have come up empty.

"She seems to have dropped off the face of the earth since 2006, beginning of 2007," Thom said.

Family travel back and forth to Jordan

The family owns property both in Ontario and in Jordan, and they travel back and forth a fair bit, police say. The farm, however, was sold in March 2016. The new owner, who has no connection to the family, took possession just a few weeks ago.

Hamilton police will be doing ground searches on the property where she was last seen, with police dogs and ground penetrating radar in the coming days.

Here's the Flamborough home where police are carrying out their investigation into Nuseiba Hasan's disappearance. (Adam Carter/CBC)

The Hamilton police focus on the property follows months of working with law enforcement in other countries to see if she was actually overseas. Some of her family, Thom says, is now living in Jordan.

"That's part of the issue — trying to contact family members who are overseas as well," Thom said. "As you can imagine, it has been quite challenging."

Police don't have any suspects yet, Thom said, but they are experiencing "variation in the level of cooperation from different family members."

When asked if police are investigating her disappearance as a possible honour killing, Thom said: "We can't exclude anything."

Police expect to search property for days

The old Hasan home is located on sprawling farm land, tucked away in the outer reaches of rural Hamilton.

On Friday, police could be seen wandering across the fields next to the home, and going in and out of a dilapidated old barn next to it. The new owner, Thom said, plans to knock down the barn.

Here's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hamont?src=hash">#hamont</a> police Det Sgt Peter Thom talking about the search for Nuseiba Hasan. <a href="https://t.co/voV81Q2UwJ">pic.twitter.com/voV81Q2UwJ</a> —@AdamCarterCBC

Here's more from Det Sgt Thom on Nuseiba Hasan's disappearance. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HamOnt?src=hash">#HamOnt</a> <a href="https://t.co/8rRl1DUgOI">pic.twitter.com/8rRl1DUgOI</a> —@AdamCarterCBC

Hasan had been a Fanshawe college student at one point, Thom said. A Facebook profile can be found online under the name "Locate Nuseiba," which also lists Fanshawe College under education. That profile last posted in February of this year, and didn't immediately respond to messages.

In a video statement, police asked that anyone who has information, who has had contact or who knew Hasan to reach out as soon as possible.

Hasan is listed at about five feet, four inches tall with a slim build, brown eyes and black hair.

adam.carter@cbc.ca