2026.1.10 ‘Strong possibility of foul play’: 2 years after Scarborough man vanished, Toronto police reclassify case as homicide
Toronto police say the disappearance of Taron Stepanyan — a Scarborough man who vanished more than two years ago is now being investigated as a homicide.
Investigators announced the update Saturday morning, saying new information has led them to conclude the circumstances of Stepanyan’s disappearance now meet the threshold for a homicide investigation, marking the first time police have publicly said they believe the now 42-year-old father likely met with foul play.
“Based on information we’ve recently obtained, the circumstances of his disappearance now meet the threshold for a homicide investigation,” Det. Sgt. Phillip Campbell told reporters.
“What I can say is that we believe there is a strong possibility that foul play was involved in Taron’s disappearance.”
Stepanyan was last seen on Dec. 23, 2023, in Scarborough’s West Hill area, near Morningside Avenue and Kingston Road.
He was 40 years old at the time.
He is described by police as five-foot-11 and weighing 229 pounds with short brown hair, a brown/grey beard, and brown eyes.
‘Now is the time to come forward,’ police say
A rash of break-ins hit Unity early Thursday morning, with at least eight local businesses targeted, Unity RCMP said Friday.
Detachment Commander Sgt. Christopher Neufeld said video surveillance and the method of entry indicate a single suspect likely acted alone. Investigators are still in the early stages of the inquiry and are coordinating with neighbouring RCMP detachments and the Serious Crime Unit to determine whether these incidents are connected to other break-ins in the region over recent months.
“The suspect was seen hiding in dark places waiting for traffic to go by” Neufeld said. “We are reviewing all available footage and working to identify the individual.”
Police are advising homeowners and business operators to take precautions, including keeping properties well lit, installing quality cameras that can be monitored remotely, reinforcing locks, and minimizing cash on the premises.
Anyone with information about the break-ins or who may have observed suspicious activity is asked to contact the Unity RCMP or call Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers anonymously.
2026.1.8 Man, woman charged in human trafficking investigation: Toronto police
Toronto Police officers have charged a man and woman after a human trafficking investigation that began back in October, 2025.
In a release, investigators said the accused used “deception, coercion and control” to traffic a female in southern Ontario.
“The accused persons created and posted online ads for sexual services, this included the taking of sexualized pictures,” the release alleged.
On Tuesday, December 30, 2025, the Toronto Police Service Human Trafficking Enforcement Team located and arrested Romelle Morgan, 33, and Feza Ngongo, 21, of Toronto.
Morgan has been charged with procuring and fail to comply with a probation order.
Ngongo faces charges of trafficking in persons and advertising another person’s sexual services.
The allegations have not been tested in court.
2026.1.7 Mother convicted in death of girl born on plane gets 10 years in prison
A former Ottawa woman convicted of manslaughter in the death of her five-year-old daughter at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic has been sentenced to 10 years in prison minus some time already spent in custody — marking the end of a chapter in the strange, brief and tragic saga of Chloe Guan-Branch’s life.
In the spring of 2020, Chloe desperately needed medical care to save her life. Her bladder had somehow ruptured in her Ottawa apartment on May 9, and her body’s waste was slowly leaking into her bloodstream, poisoning her.
For six days, her mother Ada Guan and Guan’s boyfriend Justin Cassie-Berube did not get Chloe the help she needed. They searched online about her increasingly dire symptoms and Guan consulted a pharmacist, but they never took the girl to a doctor — even as she lost the ability to walk, became incontinent, vomited repeatedly and was groaning in pain.
In a case like this one, where a vulnerable child is essentially left to die … the sentence must reflect society’s response to this kind of malignant neglect by a parent of a child.
-Ottawa Superior Court Justice Anne London-Weinstein
Court heard they were worried that taking Chloe to hospital would alert officials to the physical abuse she’d been enduring at the hands of Cassie-Berube, including a strike to Chloe’s mouth on her fifth birthday, May 10, that split the skin under her lip.
The girl whose birth on a plane had made international headlines five years earlier died alone in her room on May 15, 2020, in her soiled bed, as Guan watched TV in the living room and Cassie-Berube was out.
Wednesday’s sentence by Superior Court Justice Anne London-Weinstein comes 17 months after Guan, 33, pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
After the plea she remained out on bail, and in September she was arrested in Calgary and jailed in Ottawa after repeatedly neglecting to show up in court ahead of sentencing.
Guan pleaded guilty to failing to attend court, in addition to the manslaughter. The Crown and defence jointly proposed that she should receive an additional month in prison for the failure to attend, but they were far apart on their recommendations for the manslaughter charge.
Assistant Crown attorney Khorshid Rad called for an 11- to 12-year sentence, while defence lawyer Diane Magas asked for three to six years, saying Guan had been the victim of emotional abuse and controlling behaviour in previous relationships, including with Cassie-Berube.
Rad acknowledged the relationship dynamic should be taken into consideration, but argued it should be weighed against the number of days Chloe was left to suffer. Guan’s failure to act became an increasingly aggravating circumstance “every day Chloe gets weaker,” Rad said during sentencing submissions in December, adding that Guan’s moral blameworthiness is “very high.”
London-Weinstein echoed the Crown’s position in her ruling.
“In a case like this one, where a vulnerable child is essentially left to die … the sentence must reflect society’s response to this kind of malignant neglect by a parent of a child,” the judge said.
Ex-boyfriend convicted, sentenced 2 years ago
In 2024, a different judge found Cassie-Berube guilty of manslaughter, criminal negligence causing death, failing to provide the necessaries of life, assault causing bodily harm and assault, all involving Chloe.
He was handed a 14-year prison sentence for what the judge called a “shocking example of abuse.”
Not long after the Crown’s successful prosecution on all the charges Cassie-Berube faced, Guan and her lawyer Diane Magas struck a plea deal. Guan was facing many of the same charges, and in exchange for a guilty plea to manslaughter the other charges have been dropped.
During sentencing submissions last month the Crown read a long, impassioned victim impact statement from Guan and Cassie-Berube’s next door neighbour. Crystal James interacted with Chloe in their apartment building’s hallway, giving her small gifts and treats. She sometimes noticed bruises and swelling, as well as her quiet, timid manner.
I cannot believe that anyone who has touched this case has walked away unmarred. Irrevocably I am changed.
-Crystal James, former neighbour
“I imagine [Chloe] laying in pain in that apartment, maybe wondering why her neighbour didn’t come save her … her imagined whisper plays in a loop in my mind,” James wrote. She switched apartments but it wasn’t far enough, and she ended up moving from Ottawa entirely.
“I cannot believe that anyone who has touched this case has walked away unmarred. Irrevocably I am changed,” she wrote. But she’s also grateful she got to know Chloe, however briefly.
Guan also read a statement in court, saying she “deeply regretted everything that I didn’t do.”
“I should have known better when I first saw the signs. For this, I do not deserve to be her mom — not in the past, present or future…. If I had another chance to tell you how sorry I am and show you how much I love you and be able to hug you again, I would do anything for that chance,” she said.
Looking up from her written decision and directly into Guan’s eyes on Wednesday, London-Weinstein said the violation of the absolute trust Chloe placed in her mother was one of the “extremely aggravating factors” in the case.
However, the judge also found that Guan’s history of emotionally abusive and controlling relationships contributed to her inaction. It wasn’t an excuse for failing to act, London-Weinstein said, but it was part of the equation.
On Wednesday, Guan was quiet and still in the prisoner’s box as the sentence was being read.
She has 30 days to decide whether to appeal the sentence, which works out to about nine and a half years including credit for the time she’s already served in jail.
2026.1.2 Jury selected in trial of man accused of Dieppe double homicide
Janson Bryan Baker, 29, scheduled to stand trial over 3 months in Moncton
A jury was selected Saturday in Moncton for the trial of a 29-year-old accused of killing a Dieppe couple in 2019.
Janson Bryan Baker, 29, is being tried on two charges of first-degree murder. It’s alleged the Moncton man killed Bernard Saulnier, 78, and his wife Rose-Marie Saulnier, 74, on Sept. 7, 2019 in Dieppe.
Baker formally pleaded not guilty to the charges Saturday morning as jury selection began. Selection continued through the day and was completed just after 7 p.m.
The Crown’s opening statement is expected Tuesday morning, offering an overview of the evidence jurors are expected to hear as the trial unfolds.
The Saulniers’ deaths shocked community members and led to questions about the status of the case over the following years as police continued to investigate with little said publicly.
Baker was charged in September 2023, the fourth anniversary of the discovery of the Saulniers’ bodies in their Amirault Street home. Their cause of death hasn’t been released.
Rose-Marie Saulnier owned Natural Choice Health Centre in Dieppe and later worked as a nutritionist, herbalist and naturotherapist at Sequoia Dieppe.
Bernard Saulnier was a past president of Acadia Electric and was involved with the Dieppe Rotary Club and a New Brunswick construction association, according to his obituary.
The couple had two sons, Sylvio Saulnier and Luc Saulnier.
Sylvio died in 2023. Police say his death was not criminal in nature.
A standard publication ban prevents reporting much of what’s occurred in court over the years leading up to the trial.
The trial is scheduled for three months.
1,000 summonses sent
Jury summonses were sent to 1,000 people, according to a spokesperson for the Department of Justice.
Jury selection on a Saturday is not common but has happened before in Moncton.
“Holding the selection on a Saturday, while not typical, allows use of the secure courthouse, gather larger groups in multiple courtrooms, utilize existing technology, and facilitate parking,” Geoffrey Downey said in an email.
“It also enables us to bring in additional personnel without impacting weekday operations.”
4 courtrooms with potential jurors
Hundreds of people filled benches in four courtrooms linked by audio and video as jury selection began.
After randomizing the order, the main courtroom was cleared and potential jurors were called in to answer questions. A publication ban prohibits reporting details of their answers.
Lawyers asked for the jury to include more than the usual 12 people. Sixteen people were selected, including two alternates.
Justice Cameron Gunn, who normally sits in Woodstock, N.B., is presiding over the trial.
Baker is represented by Saint John defence lawyer Brian Munro.
James McConnell, Bradley Burgess and Victoria Quirk are prosecuting the case for the Crown.
First-degree murder, the charges Baker faces, involve a homicide that’s planned and deliberate. Conviction results in an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for at least 25 years.
2026.1.2 Former Millbrook First Nation employee gets 4.5-year prison sentence for ‘staggering’ fraud
Band’s financial clerk misappropriated $4.3 million over four-year period
A Bible Hill woman who defrauded her former employer, the Millbrook First Nation, of more than $4.3 million has been sentenced to 4.5 years in prison.
Dawn Marie Ellis-Abbott, 45, pleaded guilty last June in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Truro to a charge of fraud over $5,000.
The offence was committed over a four-year period between January 2016 and December 2019, while Ellis-Abbott was a financial clerk at the Millbrook band office.
Ellis-Abbott was sentenced Friday by Justice Jeffrey Hunt, who echoed the Crown and defence lawyers’ comments in describing the size of the fraud as “staggering.”
“While sentencings for the offence of fraud are not in and of themselves rare or unusual, sentencings involving a magnitude of loss experienced here are relatively uncommon,” Hunt said. “This was a large-scale fraud by any measure.
“These funds were converted to her own selfish use. I’m told that nothing has been recovered and, somewhat surprisingly, there are no available assets against which immediate recovery is thought to be possible.”
Counsel agreed the sentence for the offence should be in the range of 3.5 to 5.5 years. Crown attorney Shauna MacDonald called for a sentence at the high end of that range, while defence lawyer Alfie Seaman argued for a prison term at the low end.
“It is evident that a significant custodial sentence is required for Ms. Ellis-Abbott,” Hunt said.
“It is the order of the court that you will serve a period of 4.5 years. In my view, this sentence is required to reflect the gravity of the offence and your moral blameworthiness in all the circumstances.
“I should add that but for your change of plea and your acceptance of responsibility, you were at risk that this sentence would have been a different one.”
The judge said he would recommend that the Nova Institution for Women, the federal prison in Truro, provide culturally sensitive resources and programming to Ellis-Abbott, who is Indigenous and a member of the First Nation that she defrauded.
According to an agreed statement of facts, Ellis-Abbott was employed with the band from 2003 until she was terminated in December 2019. She had assumed additional responsibilities from the band’s chief financial officer in anticipation of taking over his position when he retired.
Along with preparing financial documents, working with the band’s auditors and dealing with band councillors, Ellis-Abbott was responsible for the everyday accounting of the bank accounts for Millbrook Fisheries and the Millbrook Economic Development Corp.
Ellis-Abbott’s annual salary was $59,509 as of December 2019. In addition, Millbrook band members received a $1,250 payment twice a year, in June and November, usually via an electronic payment.
She owned High Maintenance Hair Salon in Bible Hill. Her sister managed and worked in the salon.
The facts say Ellis-Abbott got into the business after being approached by her sister and her sister’s business partner “to help with their failing salon.”
Ellis-Abbott also had expenses associated with 36 horses that were owned by her family.
Between Jan. 1, 2016, and Dec. 31, 2019, Ellis-Abbott defrauded the band of $4,380,986 through various means, the statement says.
During that time period, she had a corporate credit card in her name that was supposed to be used only for Millbrook business purposes. Instead, she used the card to incur $2,927,529 in charges for personal transactions.
The transactions with the RBC Visa card included $717,071 in cash advances and payments of $339,749 to a plumbing and heating company, $169,409 to Amazon, $106,122 to Maritime Beauty, $106,112 to Home Hardware and $102,275 to Wayfair.
She also used the credit card to pay for saddles, veterinary expenses, other horse-related bills, automobiles, utility bills, fencing, insurance, roofing, waste collection, hotels, travel, entertainment, auto detailing, tattoos and shopping.
Payments made on the card came directly from the band via RBC banking transfers and 80 cheques from the Millbrook Fisheries and Millbrook Economic Development Corp. accounts.
In addition, Ellis-Abbott received 227 cheques totalling $1,068,330 from the Millbrook Fisheries account. Signatures were forged on 218 of the cheques.
“Each cheque required two signatures of individuals with signing authority,” the facts read. “Ms. Ellis-Abbott did not have sole signing authority.”
During the same time period, she received $261,240 in 66 cheques that were made payable to her from the economic development corporation. Signatures were forged on all 66 cheques.
Between March 2019 and November 2019, Ellis-Abbott made 12 e-transfers from the fisheries account and the band’s administrative account to her personal account, the High Maintenance business account, a contracting company and to buy horses. The unauthorized e-transfers came to a total of $121,586.
In February 2016, Ellis-Abbott used a Millbrook Fisheries cheque to pay a $2,300 invoice from a paving company for patching of the hair salon’s parking lot.
On top of the funds that were fraudulently acquired, the band authorized loans to Ellis-Abbott, and $68,827 of that money was never repaid.
RCMP opened an investigation in late 2019 and announced in April 2023 that Ellis-Abbott had been charged with fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000 and possession of more than $5,000 in property that was obtained by crime.
The band filed a civil action against Ellis-Abbott in Supreme Court and was successful in obtaining a partial summary judgment in March 2023 for $3,209,909, plus $849,584 in prejudgment interest.
MacDonald, in her submissions Friday, said the fraud was not a “one-time exercise of bad judgment.”
“This is almost a daily occurrence of accessing funds that she was not entitled to,” the prosecutor said. “This was sustained, prolonged bad judgment for Ms. Ellis-Abbott. The amount of money involved here is staggering.”
MacDonald noted that the money misappropriated by Ellis-Abbott was 73 times her yearly salary.
Three band members submitted community impact statements for the sentencing hearing.
“It’s not a surprise that the band and members of the community would say that they are not able to do things that they would otherwise have been able to do,” MacDonald said.
“It is not a surprise either that members of the band who work in the financial areas of the band would say … that there’s a distrust now, because all of this money was misappropriated. … Community members look to those that work in the financial office and say, ‘Is this how you run things?’
“That distrust was obviously bred by Ms. Ellis-Abbott. … Understandably, the other community members who were working alongside her feel that they have been taken in or subsumed by this fraud.”
Defence lawyer Alfie Seaman said his client wanted to plead guilty quite a while ago, but the plea was delayed because of changes in counsel that were beyond her control.
“We are probably a year or so later than we should have been,” Seaman said. “It’s no one’s fault, but I do apologize to the Millbrook community. I’m sure they wanted to see closure long before this.”
Ellis-Abbott told the author of a Gladue report – a special kind of presentence report prepared for Indigenous offenders – that she developed a shopping addiction when she was about 34 years old and was having mental health and matrimonial issues.
The report said Ellis-Abbott began therapy sessions in 2025 and has gained insight into her conduct, is making progress in dealing with her mental health issues and is taking medication for anxiety.
“Dawn is focused on moving forward from this period in her life and preparing for the challenges ahead,” the report said. “She acknowledges the wrongs she has made and the impact this has had on community members, (and) has expressed remorse.”
In a letter to the court, Ellis-Abbott said: “To this day, I can’t even imagine acting like this. I don’t recognize this person.”
She said she is confident that she is going to come out of this better than she was before.
Besides the prison time, the judge compelled Ellis-Abbott to provide a DNA sample for a national databank, ordered her to make restitution to the Millbrook band for the full amount and gave her 15 years to pay a fine in lieu of forfeiture in the same amount. If she defaults on the fine without a reasonable excuse, she could be liable to five more years in prison.
Any payment she makes will be deducted from both the restitution and fine orders, as well as the civil judgment.
In addition, Hunt granted a 25-year order prohibiting Ellis-Abbott from working or volunteering in any capacity that would give her authority over the real property, money or valuable security of another person.
The Millbrook band, in a statement posted on its Facebook page, said the sentencing brought closure and justice for the First Nation.
“This crime has significantly impacted our community, and no amount of time served will replace the economic opportunities and community benefits lost because of this selfish act (by) this former employee,” Chief Bob Gloade said in the post. “I am disappointed, as I was hopeful for a longer sentence.
“I am thankful for the dedication and understanding that our Millbrook staff and community has shown over the last few years as we navigated this investigation and legal battle. It has been a long, difficult road and I am looking forward to continuing to work on improvements with my team at Millbrook and rebuilding the trust that this individual compromised.”
2026.1.1 Five years later: The search for Zack Lefave, and for answers, continues in Yarmouth County
New Year’s Day 2026 marked five years since Zack Lefave of Yarmouth County went missing.
Yet while each passing year is a sombre anniversary to mark, each year also comes with renewed hope for Lefave’s family, friends and the community that there will finally be answers about what happened to him.
On the anniversary of Lefave’s disappearance, the Southwest Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit (SWN MCU) issued a media release saying the RCMP continues to investigate this case.
“Our investigators have spoken with over two hundred people during the course of this investigation,” said Cst. Shawn Himmelman, lead investigator with the SWN MCU. “The information and details provided have shaped where and how searches have taken place, and will support any new search efforts going forward.”
On Jan. 1, 2021, the Yarmouth RCMP started a missing person investigation following a report that Lefave did not return to a New Year’s Eve gathering he had attended earlier in the evening with friends. According to the RCMP, he was last seen walking on Highway 334 in Plymouth, Yarmouth County, at approximately 12:15 a.m.
Lefave was just days shy of his 21st birthday when he went missing.
Missing person posters continue to dot locations in Yarmouth County. Social media, where people plead for answers and information about Lefave’s disappearance, continues to be active.
The RCMP says over the last five years, investigators with the SWN MCU have collaborated with multiple partner agencies inside and outside of the RCMP to find Lefave.
It says regional ground search and rescue (GSAR) teams have volunteered countless hours over the years. RCMP Police Dog Services, including an RCMP cadaver dog team from British Columbia, officers from RCMP Forensic Identification Services, various units from Yarmouth RCMP, Meteghan RCMP, Shelburne RCMP and Lunenburg District RCMP have all contributed to the search and investigation.
The RCMP Southwest Nova Major Crime Unit continues to investigate and seek any information that will assist in locating Lefave. In particular, the RCMP would like to speak with anyone who was driving or walking on or near Hwy. 334 between Arcadia and Wedgeport between the hours of 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2020, and 3 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2021. It makes a similar plea every year.
In 2025, there had been renewed hope for answers or clues when a new development led to a May weekend search in the area of Yarmouth County where Lefave went missing.
That scene during the first weekend of May 2025 was reminiscent of one in the early days of January 2021. Searchers from various ground search and rescue teams in southwestern Nova Scotia, along with the RCMP, set up a command centre in the parking lot of the Plymouth elementary school. Everyone’s hope was focused on finding Lefave.
Unfortunately, the RCMP said the weekend search did not locate anything relevant to the ongoing investigation.
Asked at the time what had triggered this newest large-scale search, Sergeant Jeff LeBlanc, the weekend’s incident commander, said it had been due to a new development in the investigation.
“Recently, there was a new development that was learned that the last point of contact may have been made while he was walking down a dirt road, which triggered what we’re seeing here,” Sgt. LeBlanc had said on May 3, 2025. “A large sum of people have gathered together to try to find Zack.”
The search size was significant. There were search teams from Digby around to Queens, which also included teams from Yarmouth, Clare and Barrington. There were in excess of 70 searchers from the ground search teams, with another 18 or so RCMP officers on the ground.
Asked how the May 2025 search effort differed from the initial one in January 2021, and another one that the RCMP conducted in July 2023, LeBlanc had said, “We’re focus-driven this time around. We’re concentrating specifically on two different roads.” He did not refer to the roads by name.
The RCMP had posted on social media prior to that weekend that people would be seeing a large search effort in Plymouth, Yarmouth County. By the next morning, that RCMP’s post had been shared over 1,100 times with people holding out hope for a break in the case that for years has left a family and a community heartbroken and searching for answers.
As the physical search was happening, RCMP Major Crime investigators were also in the Tri-County area continuing to conduct follow-up interviews in relation to the case.
“I’m hopeful we can find answers,” Sgt. LeBlanc had said during the search. “I am hopeful that we are going to have some closure for the family and the community … We’re doing everything we can to obtain that. But of course, in this line of work, nothing is certain.”
And last year, it was not meant to be.
Still, there is always hope.
In addition to the RCMP’s ongoing public appeal for information that could aid in the investigation, Lefave’s case is also included in the Nova Scotia Department of Justice Reward for Major Unsolved Crimes Program. A reward of up to $150,000 is available for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the disappearance of Lefave.
In the past, Lefave’s family has described the young man as someone who was always on the go doing something, whether it be fishing, hunting, or taking a drive on his four-wheeler. He loved to be outside. He loved animals. Loved to cook. Loved his family deeply. In a July 2023 interview with the Tri-County Vanguard, his mother Lorna said her son, “Had a smile that would light up any room.”
The years have been very difficult for Lefave’s family.
“He basically just disappeared without a trace,” his mother said in that interview.
When no one had heard from Zack as the hours ticked by on Jan. 1, 2021, and because he also hadn’t shown up for work that morning, his family immediately knew something was wrong. His mother knew her son wouldn’t have just purposely run off, even if he was in an intoxicated or impaired state. He wouldn’t have neglected his responsibilities and wouldn’t have purposely caused worry to his family.
“It’s a big world out there, and it continues to carry on. Our life seems like it’s in slow motion, or put on pause,” said his mother. “We see the world and life in a different way. Nothing is or will be the same.”
Still, five years later, there is something that hasn’t changed – the love Zack’s family has for him, their grief that is immeasurable, and the hope that they cling to that one day they will have answers about what happened to the young man, and that they will be able to bring him home.
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