A man from Mississauga has been apprehended in Texas and is now facing charges related to an attack on Elnaz Hajtamiri, a Mississauga resident who has been missing since 2022. The 25-year-old individual is charged with aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit an indictable offense and is currently detained in York Region, as per a news release by the York police on Friday.
The accused was apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service in Texas in August and subsequently brought back to Canada to face charges, the release stated. Authorities allege that the man was involved in an assault on Hajtamiri that occurred before her abduction, which took place in December 2021. During the incident, Hajtamiri was assaulted and struck with a frying pan in an underground parking garage in Richmond Hill. She sustained non-life-threatening injuries and a head wound requiring 40 stitches. The assailants fled the scene following the attack.
Several weeks later, in January 2022, three individuals dressed as fake police officers forcibly entered a relative’s residence in Wasaga Beach, where Hajtamiri was staying after the initial attack, and abducted her. The suspects fled in a white Lexus SUV, and Hajtamiri has not been seen since, with authorities presuming her to be deceased.
A tip from the public led law enforcement to the accused in Texas, according to Const. Lisa Moskaluk, a spokesperson for the York Regional Police, in an interview with CBC Toronto. Moskaluk emphasized the importance of any information, no matter how small, in potentially uncovering additional evidence.
To date, eight individuals, including Hajtamiri’s ex-boyfriend, have been arrested in connection with the December attack, with authorities indicating a likely link between the assault and the subsequent kidnapping. The investigation remains ongoing, with the hope that the apprehended suspect may lead to the identification of additional suspects, Moskaluk stated.
There is a $100,000 reward for information that could help locate Hajtamiri. York police urge anyone with relevant information to reach out to them or Crime Stoppers.
