A Virginia man who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in a 2019 killing left the country on a one-way trip to Tajikistan while he was out on an approved 48-hour pass from a state mental health facility, according to court records.
Abdulloi Toshpulodzoda was released from the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute (NVMHI) on July 6 for an authorized two-day pass and was supposed to return on July 8, but he did not come back, FOX 5 reported, citing court filings.
Court documents show that instead of returning to the facility, Toshpulodzoda went to Washington Dulles International Airport, boarded a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul and then continued on to Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
“The Acquittee failed to return to NVMHI on July 8, 2026, as required,” the filing states.
Toshpulodzoda had been placed in the custody of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services in 2022 after he was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the death of his landlord, Mohammad Hemmatian, according to FOX 5.
His disappearance came just days after a judge concluded that he was still mentally ill and required inpatient care.
“On June 29, 2026, this Court found that the Acquittee remained mentally ill and in need of inpatient hospitalization,” court documents state.
Even with that ruling in place, FOX 5 reported that Virginia law permits mental health facilities to approve unaccompanied community visits of up to 48 hours for some committed patients.
NVMHI authorized Toshpulodzoda to leave on July 6. Court records show he left the approved placement and headed to Dulles instead of returning to the facility.
Airline records attached to the court filing show a Turkish Airlines itinerary from Dulles to Istanbul and then to Dushanbe.
FOX 5 reported that Toshpulodzoda had previously been allowed to travel to Washington, D.C., in 2024 to obtain a passport, with support from the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
After Toshpulodzoda failed to return, NVMHI placed him on escape status, revoked his pass and issued a facility warrant.
Virginia State Police and federal authorities were notified, and US Customs and Border Protection issued an alert in case he attempted to return to the United States.
A bench warrant was later issued for his arrest, according to FOX 5.
“Abdulloi Toshpulodzoda was found by clinicians to be insane at the time he killed Mohammad Hemmatian – a legal finding that means the Commonwealth would be unable to secure a conviction at trial,” the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s office said in a statement.
“Following that 2022 finding, prosecutors have opposed his release at annual review hearings, including in June of this year, where a judge ordered that he continue to be confined in a state behavioral health facility. A bench warrant was issued immediately following notice that he had escaped custody, so if he enters the U.S., he will be arrested and brought to Virginia.”
The Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney’s office, the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute and Turkish Airlines could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.
