A man wanted in connection with a murder in Chatham-Kent 21 years ago is now one of the top 25 most wanted in Canada.
The BOLO (Be On The Lookout) program updated its most wanted list on Monday and Savang Sychantha, 61, a Windsor businessman and native of Laos, made the list.
BOLO is an initiative that helps police look for and arrest fugitives by encouraging citizens to be on the lookout for Canada’s most wanted.
Sychantha is wanted by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) for the murder of Riad Baroud, who was 18 at the time of his death. Baroud's body was found in a Chatham-Kent bush lot just off of Vasik Line near Highway 401 by a road repair crew on April 25, 2002. Police found the victim bound and restrained, stripped of his shoes and identification, and extensively beaten.
Baroud worked at a pizza store in Windsor owned by Sychantha.
The OPP said a witness saw Baroud get into a white Toyota with Sychantha on April 22, 2002 and at some point over the next few hours Sychantha and his accomplice would allegedly have beaten the victim to death and disposed of his body.
Police also said that the next day Sychantha fled to Laos, where he was born, but believe that he may have returned to Canada and is now living in Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver under an assumed identity.
Police are warning the public to take no action to apprehend Sychantha because he may be armed and dangerous.
Investigators also noted that anyone helping Sychantha evade arrest may be considered an accessory after the fact and face charges.
The Criminal Code of Canada states that “every one who is an accessory after the fact to murder is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for life.”
The reward for information leading to the arrest of Sychantha is $50,000.
Tips can be submitted by calling the OPP at 1-888-310-1122, 705-329-6111, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).