The body of Elaheh Hossein-Nejad, a 24-year-old from Eslamshahr, was discovered on the outskirts of Tehran — 11 days after she vanished. Initial reports, including police statements, claimed that she had been raped and then murdered. These statements were later denied. Contradictory state narratives raise fears of Secret Services involvement. Her death has created a wave of outrage in Iranian society.
ESLAMSHAHR JUNE 13: The body of Elaheh Hossein-Nejad, a 24-year-old nail artist from Islamshahr, was discovered on the outskirts of Tehran — 11 days after she vanished on her way home from work. Her death has created a wave of outrage in Iranian society. Elaheh Hosseinnejad, was murdered after disappearing on May 25.
Elaheh Hossein-Nejad was known as a friendly and hardworking young woman. She had a degree in accounting but worked at a beauty salon in Tehran’s upscale Saadat Abad district; she returned home to Eslamshahr, where she helped care for her disabled brother.
On the evening of Sunday, May 25, 2025, she called her family from the Eslamshahr prayer square to say she was almost home. Moments later, her phone went silent. She was never heard from again.
During the search, her uncle told the media that she returned home every day to care for her disabled brother. He added that security cameras failed to capture crucial footage because they were turned away at the key moment.
Initial reports, including police statements, claimed that she had been raped and then murdered. However, these statements were later denied, with officials saying the motive was solely an attempted phone theft that escalated when the victim resisted.
The claimed murderer, a taxi driver with a prior criminal record and a history of imprisonment, confessed to the crime and led authorities to the body’s location. The case has drawn much public attention.
Ali Salehi, the prosecutor of Tehran, said: With the discovery of the body of the late Elahe Hossein nejad in the deserts around Tehran and the arrest of the murder suspect, a case has been filed in the special investigation branch in Tehran and investigations have begun.
A review of Elaheh’s public Instagram shows that she supported the 2022 protest movement in Iran with her decrying imprisonment and execution of protesters. Opponents of the dictatorship claim that this is another tragedy caused by the culture of violence and misogyny maintained and promoted by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
