Ex-boyfriend charged with 1st-degree murder of woman kidnapped from Wasaga Beach, Ont., home

CBC News

· Posted: Nov 09, 2023 1:48 PM EST | Last Updated: 1 hour ago

Mohamad Lilo, the ex-boyfriend of Elnaz Hajtamiri, has been charged with first-degree murder nearly two years after she was kidnapped from a Wasaga Beach home.

In a statement to CBC News, Ontario Provincial Police spokesperson Agata Czajkowski said the Crown has charged Lilo by way of direct indictment. 

“The investigation remains active and ongoing. The OPP continues to investigate in order to find out what happened to Elnaz and to provide answers to her family,” Czajkowski said.

“We remind the public that there is still a joint $100,000 reward available for anyone who provides any information that will lead to Elnaz’s whereabouts.”

When asked if any remains have been found or if investigators believe Hajtamiri is dead based on the first-degree murder charge, Czajkowski directed questions to the Ministry of the Attorney General.

“What we can say is that the OPP continues to ask the public for information on Elnaz’s whereabouts,” she said.

Police have said Hajtamiri was forcibly taken from a relative’s house in Wasaga Beach, Ont. by three masked men dressed in fake police gear on the night of Jan. 12, 2022. The men allegedly drove away with Hajtamiri in what investigators believe was a white, 2016 to 2022-model Lexus RX 350 SUV.

She has not been seen or heard from since.

Lilo of Brossard, Que., was previously charged with kidnapping in connection with Hajtamiri’s abduction, as well attempted murder and attempted kidnapping in connection with a prior assault on the 37-year-old woman. 

Several other people have been charged in connection with her disappearance, as well as in relation to a separate incident, in which Hajtamiri was allegedly beaten with a frying pan in an underground parking garage in Richmond Hill on Dec. 20, 2021. She was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries at the time.