Fourth person tied to abduction, death of man in Guelph arrested

There remains one more suspect police are looking for after a fourth person was arrested in connection with the abduction and death of a man in Guelph.

Officers from the Wellington County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said in a release that four suspects have already been arrested in connection with the incident that took place on May 14. A fifth person remains outstanding.

It all came to light following a reported collision involving two vehicles on Hanlon Parkway, just north of Stone Road.

When police arrived at the scene, they found a 40-year-old man from Cambridge with life-threatening injuries, who was then transported to hospital, but later died of his injuries.

After further investigation, police discovered that earlier in the day, the victim had been abducted from a home on Fife Road by five suspects, who then fled in two vehicles.

When piecing together the series of events, police believe that while travelling southbound on Hanlon Parkway, the victim was outside the first vehicle, a Toyota Venza SUV, when he was then struck by the second vehicle, a Dodge RAM pickup truck, that was following the initial vehicle.

Since the incident occurred, police stated arrests have been made for three people, including a 16-year-old from Guelph, a 19-year-old from Elora, and a 20-year-old from Guelph.

The OPP Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) has now arrested and charged Ian Brown, 51, of Guelph with assault with a weapon and kidnapping.

“The OPP would like to thank the public for their cooperation and the valuable information that contributed to the apprehension of the wanted individual,” police said. “While this remains an isolated incident, the OPP reminds all members of the public to remain vigilant and contact police if they observe anything suspicious.”

Anyone with information about the suspects or the vehicles is asked to contact the Wellington County OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

The investigation remains ongoing through OPP, alongside the Office of the Chief Coroner and the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service. OPP mentioned that support was also provided through Guelph Police Service.