Elnaz Hajtamiri kidnapping investigation kidnapping charges filed against Brampton, Ont. woman
Ontario Provincial Police have arrested and charged a Brampton woman with kidnapping in connection with the investigation into the kidnapping of Elnaz Hajtamiri.
READ: Full details on the Elnaz Hajtamiri investigation
Police say the public helped identify Krystal P. Lawrence after investigators released footage of three suspects last month.
Police say 30-year-old Lawrence was arrested Thursday and has since been released under conditions, which police said included a curfew, a residential component, a non-communication order and other travel restrictions.
OPP Det. Insp. Martin Graham said police analysis showed Lawrence could be released into the community with those restrictions.
“Police in all cases look at the offence, the individual, the criminal record, but above all the likelihood that this person could pose a risk to public safety, commit further offenses or otherwise,” he explains.
“They are not free, but subject to a number of conditions imposed on them within the community,” he added.
She is due to appear in court in Collingwood on May 2.
Meanwhile, the search for Deshawn Davis, 35, of Toronto continues. Police have issued a Canada-wide arrest warrant.
Investigators have not identified the third suspect, but say they believe he lives in the Greater Toronto Area.
Graham said Davis and the yet-to-be-identified suspect are also charged with kidnapping.
“Their different roles will be fleshed out and identified in the ongoing prosecution, and as such revealing anything at this stage could negatively impact that ongoing prosecution,” Graham added.
They urge anyone with information to immediately contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or the dedicated tip line at 1-833-728-3415.
Police also hope to speak to one, possibly two, interested parties who rented vehicles in December 2021, noting they are not suspects but may have leads that could help the investigation.
Still, the biggest question remains, where is Elnaz Hajtamiri?
“We believe the steps we’ve taken so far are definitely moving us towards the goal we’re all seeking. I’d like to encourage everyone, the members of the public out there; people know what happened to her.
A $100,000 reward has been offered to anyone who has information that can lead us to Elnaz’s location, and I beg you, if you have that information, please bring it forward,” Graham said, adding that this is one of the most “complicated and complex investigations” he has been involved in.
Elnaz Hajtamiri is shown in a photograph from the Ontario Provincial Police. OPP has said that on the evening of January 12, 2022, three men dressed in police uniform snatched Hajtamiri, 37, from a relative’s home in Wasaga Beach, Ontario, and loaded her into a white Lexus SUV. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-OPP
Investigators say Hajtamiri, 37, was abducted on January 12, 2022 by three men posing as cops from a house in Wasaga Beach where she had been hiding with loved ones following a violent attack in the York area.
In July, police charged her former boyfriend, Mohamad Lilo, with attempted murder, kidnapping and criminal harassment.
The allegations against all the defendants have not been tested in court.
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