A Toronto man whose body was found in a hockey bag this spring feared for his safety shortly before he was abducted and murdered last year, police said Monday as they sought more information on what happened to him.
The Durham Regional Police Service said they believe Ariel Kaplan was abducted on Aug. 29, 2021 in Toronto after having dinner with acquaintances, and was murdered after that.
Kaplan’s remains were found in an Uxbridge, Ont., pond on May 10, after he was reported missing the previous September.
Det. Sgt. Doris Carriere said police are now seeking more witnesses to piece together possible motives and details of Kaplan’s final days, after speaking to more than 100 witnesses and analyzing “hundreds of thousands of data files” in the investigation supported by Toronto police.
“Ariel Kaplan was a son, a brother, an uncle. His death has deeply affected his family, his friends and his community,” Carriere said at a news conference in Whitby, Ont.
“At this time, we continue to follow up on leads but are appealing to the public for any information that could assist in solving this murder and provide some closure to those affected.”
Carriere said police believe Kaplan was abducted in the area of Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue in Toronto. Before that, he had dinner with acquaintances in the Yorkville neighbourhood.
Carriere said cellphone data has confirmed witness accounts that Kaplan was in the Yorkville area, and police are seeking more witnesses to confirm the exact restaurant he was at.
The exact timeline between Kaplan’s abduction and his death is not known, but Carriere said the hockey bag with the man’s remains was first seen by a witness in November 2021, and police believe the bag was in the Uxbridge pond from November until May.
In the days and weeks before he disappeared, Kaplan feared for his safety, and was possibly being followed, Carriere said.
“We believe somebody was looking after him or trying to find him,” Carriere said, adding that the person looking for Kaplan could “possibly” be responsible for his death.
Police are looking to speak with people who had any kind of contact with Kaplan in the weeks before he disappeared, and anyone who was present at the Yorkville dinner or worked at restaurants in the area who might remember seeing him. Carriere said people who have information but are concerned about talking to police can share information through Crime Stoppers.
Carriere also did not share the cause of Kaplan’s death because he said that detail is being used to verify accounts from witnesses. Kaplan was reported missing in Toronto on Sept. 3, 2021.
Evidence so far has not directly linked Kaplan to organized crime, Carriere said, but witnesses have presented that theory, and police need to corroborate it with evidence.
Kaplan is known to have been involved in construction and real estate investments. Some witnesses have also alleged that he was involved in fraud related to real estate house flipping in the Greater Toronto Area, and Carriere said police want to talk to people who know more about that.
Police are also trying to rule out people who were not involved in the murder.
Carriere said the long period of time after the murder, and the possible ties to organized crime, have made the investigation challenging, but police need more people to come forward.
“We think that there are communities, there are people out there that have information, that the information is circulating,” he said. “We need the assistance of the community and that’s what we’re reaching for.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2022.
