After defeating the owner of the house, they arrested the woman, Elnaz Hajtamiri, of Iranian origin, dragged her barefoot through the snow in a vehicle and left in the dark. Nearly three months later, police admit they are no closer to locating Haitamiri in a case that has confused investigators. “I have never, ever encountered such a case,” Ontario County Police Inspector-General Martin Graham told reporters this week, adding that investigators had not identified the motive or received ransom requests. They also did not identify the white Lexus SUV used in the January 12 abduction, nor did they identify its owner. “My biggest hope is that Elnaz is alive,” Graham said. “My biggest fear is that it is not.” Police have taken the “extraordinary” step of reaching out to the Iranian community in Toronto and Montreal as they expand the scope of their search and are considering being transported out of the country. This week, investigators also said they believed a brutal attack in Haitamiri in December was linked to her abduction. Two weeks before the abduction, Hajtamiri was attacked in the garage of her apartment in Richmond Hill, a city north of Toronto. The perpetrators hit her with a pan and left serious injuries on her head that required 40 stitches. Police say they later retrieved a surveillance device. Two other tracking devices were found in her car when she brought the vehicle for service in November. A map of southern Ontario, Canada, including Toronto and Hamilton. Wasaga Beach is located on the opposite coast and north of Toronto. After the December attack, Hajtamiri feared for her safety and settled with her family in Wasaga Beach, 145 kilometers (90 miles) north of Toronto. The only time she allegedly left the coastal community was on January 10, to retrieve her vehicle, computer and mobile phone from police. Two days later, she was abducted. No arrests have been made for the garage attack, but police say they do not believe the men themselves are involved. “We have at least five different people who are directly responsible for these crimes,” Graham said. “Despite the number of people involved, we did not receive any information that would give us a clear link as to where the investigation should go.” In late January, police arrested her ex-boyfriend Mohamed Lilo, accusing him of criminal harassment. The two divorced in October, but he tried to contact her the following month and police are involved. Police did not say whether he was suspected of kidnapping her, but said they were investigating the relationship, which they said was both personal and professional. Hajtamiri, who also goes by the surname Tamiri, immigrated to Canada less than four years ago after losing her husband. She had recently started her own cake making company after leaving an import-export business. In its latest push for new information, police released a video of Fariba Hajtamiri, Elnaz’s mother, begging for her daughter’s release. Fariba, who still lives in Iran, said the family life had become “desperate” as they hoped for Elnaz’s release. “We desperately need your help,” he told Farsi. “I beg you as a mother to guide us and tell us that you know. Please, please. “
