Police investigating Alloura Wells's death name boyfriend as 'person of interest'
A month after Wells, 27, vanished her body was found in a ravine but wasn't identified until November
Toronto police have named Alloura Wells's boyfriend as a "person of interest" after the death of the homeless transgender woman who disappeared from the city's Midtown area this summer.
Det. Sgt. Dan Sabadics says investigators are looking to speak with Augustinus Balesdent, who they believe was the last person who saw Wells alive.
"Although not a suspect, we would like to speak with Mr. Balesdent," Sabadics told reporters Friday.
"As he is transient and still believed to be in the city, we are appealing for him to contact police at 53 Division."
Police have not ruled Wells's death suspicious and say they don't know how she died.
Wells, 27, vanished from Toronto's downtown area in July when her Facebook account went dormant. A month later, residents discovered the body of a transgender woman lying on the ground near a tent in Rosedale Ravine Lands Park, an area Wells's friends say she frequented.
But the remains weren't identified until last week because Wells, also known as Alloura Hennessy and Alloura Wheeler, wasn't reported missing to police until Nov. 6. Sabadics explained that investigators ordered a DNA testafter obtaining a sample of a family member of Wells. Ontario's Forensic Sciences tested it against a sample from the body.
The results revealed the remains belonged to Wells, but her cause of death was ruled "undetermined."
An autopsy that was completed when the body was first found revealed the "badly decomposed" remains had been lying in the ravine for up to four weeks and that they belonged to a transgender woman because they were dressed in women's clothes and had a wig, said Sabadics.
"At the time of the investigation and processing of the scene, nothing indicated foul play or anything suspicious in nature," he said.
Investigators believe Wells was killed on July 15, based on a post-mortem evaluation.
Anyone who spoke with Wells in July, has information about the events leading up to her death, or knows where Balesdent is are asked to call police at 53 Division at 416-808-5300 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.