Woman charged with kidnapping in Elnaz Hajtamiri abduction case

A woman has been charged with kidnapping in connection with the abduction of missing woman Elnaz Hajtamiri. 

In a news release issued Friday, Ontario Provincial Police investigators said that on Thursday, 30-year-old Brampton woman Krystal P. Lawrence had been arrested and charged with kidnapping.

Lawrence was released with conditions and is scheduled to appear in court in Collingwood, Ont. on May 2.

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.

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

Police have also issued an arrest warrant for 35-year-old Toronto man Deshawn Davis, and are similarly trying to identify a second man who was previously shown in photos released by investigators as people linked to the case.

Anyone with information about either of those two people is being asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or through a dedicated tip line at 1-833-728-3415.

Several other people have also been charged in connection with 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. 

A $100,000 joint OPP and York Regional Police reward is currently available for anyone with information that will lead to finding Hajtamiri.

Police say she is about five foot three inches tall, has a slim build, and had shoulder-length black hair, but it had been cut shorter right before she was abducted.