Dance club owner missing

Authorities suspect foul play in the Oct. 16 disappearance.

By ABBIE VANSICKLE, Times Staff Writer
Published November 7, 2007

The nightclub Studio Inc., owned by Jamal Mohammed, sits in a plaza at the corner of Waters Avenue and Dale Mabry Highway. Deputies have been called to the club 57 times this year.
	[Ross Mantle | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT Jamal Mohammed, 32, was last seen about 3 p.m. Oct. 16 at the Marina Apartments at 50th Street and Busch Boulevard, one of several rental properties he owns. [Tampa Police Department] The Studio Inc. owner's 2008 Hummer was found with the keys and other personal items inside.

TAMPA - On Oct. 16, Jamal Mohammed, a 32-year-old Tampa businessman, vanished.

His car, a white 2008 Hummer, was found later that day on a dead-end street near the Hillsborough River. The keys were inside. There were other personal items inside that weren't disturbed, said Tampa Cpl. Jared Douds. It didn't appear there had been a struggle.

On Tuesday morning, police said they suspect foul play in the disappearance.

Mohammed and his brother, Nizam Mohammed, 27, own Studio Inc., a nightclub near Dale Mabry Highway and Waters Avenue, records show.

Jamal Mohammed was last seen about 3 p.m. Oct. 16 at the Marina Apartments at 50th Street and Busch Boulevard, one of several rental properties he owns. Family members told police he was heading to Studio Inc.

Reached by cell phone Tuesday afternoon, Mohammed's wife, Rachel Mohammed, said it was not a good time to talk. She said no other family members would comment about his disappearance.

Mohammed's brother, Nizam, could not be reached for comment.

Studio Inc. is a nightclub tucked into a strip mall. There's a huge dance floor, and it features different music depending on the night of the week, said Nicole Benitez, 18. The club's MySpace site shows photos of scantily clad women and posters advertising Studio Inc.

Benitez recently participated in a show at the club. She said about 1,000 people can fit inside to dance to the Latin and Reggaeton music. She heard about the club's shows through a local fashion promoter, Valentina Butos.

Butos, who has a shop on Armenia Avenue, said she met Jamal Mohammed once. After that, she worked with his brother to organize a Halloween show at the club. A few days before Halloween she called Mohammed's brother, who told her "something bad was going on." Later that day, she saw a poster that Mohammed was missing.

Butos, who does not speak fluent English, spoke with a reporter with her teenage son translating.

The corporate records for the business were changed the day before Mohammed disappeared, state records show. It appeared to be a change of address for the business. Mohammed was listed as the president of Studio Inc. His brother was listed as vice president.

Deputies have been called to the club's address 57 times this year, said Hillsborough sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter. The calls include a report of a drunken person singing in the parking lot, stolen vehicles, thefts, criminal mischief and fender-benders in the parking lot, records show. The most recent happened Oct. 21, when deputies responded to a call of a fight.

Police say Mohammed lives at 4202 N Howard Ave. In a West Tampa neighborhood of modest homes, Mohammed's large, new-looking stucco home stands out. No one came to the door. There was a for sale sign in the yard.

Anyone with information can call the Tampa Police Department at 813 231-6130.

Times staff writers Melanie Ave and Casey Cora and news researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Abbie VanSickle can be reached at vansickle@sptimes.com or 813-226-3373.

[Last modified November 6, 2007, 22:55:10]