A suspect wanted in connection with the death of a man in Chatham-Kent has been named as one of the most wanted fugitives in the country.
During a press conference in Toronto on Monday, Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw, Bolo Program Director Max Langlois, and Toronto Crime Stoppers Chair Sean Sportun released the newest list of Canada’s Top 25 Most Wanted.
The list is part of the Bolo Program, which utilizes social media, technology, and innovative engagement to encourage citizens to “be on the lookout” for Canada’s most wanted.
One of the fugitives on the list is Savang Sychantha who is wanted for the death of 18-year-old Riad Baroud. Baroud’s remains were discovered in a bush lot off of Vasik Line, near Highway 401 in Chatham-Kent on April 25, 2002.
The Ontario Provincial Police said the victim and the accused were previously both employed at a pizza parlour in Windsor and were actively involved in the illicit drug trade.
Authorities said when Baroud became financially indebted to Sychantha, the suspect and an accomplice took the victim by force from Windsor on April 22, 2002.
Baroud was bound, restrained, and extensively beaten, before succumbing to his injuries. His body was then driven to Chatham-Kent and disposed of in a bush lot.
Police said Sychantha fled Canada to Laos in southeast Asia after Baroud was killed. However, it is believed that he may have returned to Canada and is potentially living in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver under an assumed identity.
The Ontario government is offering a reward of $50,000 for information leading to Sychantha’s arrest.
Anyone with information regarding the suspect’s location is asked to immediately contact the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch at 1-888-310-1122, their nearest police authority, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
