

Chris Herhalt, CP24.com





Investigators have named a person of interest they wish to speak to in connection with the death of a homeless transgender woman found in a Rosedale ravine earlier this year.

Alloura Wells, 27, was found in a ravine near Rosedale Valley Road on Aug. 5.

Det. Sgt. Dan Sabadics said her body was found laid prone near a tent and appeared to have been there for three or four weeks.

He said the decomposition of the body hampered the effort to identify it initially.

They attempted to cross-reference it to disappearances of two transgender persons —one from Alberta and another from northern Ontario — but neither was a DNA match.

On Nov. 6, members of Wells’ family reported her missing to 51 Division.

Her father, Mike Wells, told CP24 that he was disappointed with police when he reported her disappearance, as they suggested her disappearance was not unusual because of her situation.

“The gentleman came up with a bunch of excuses why my kid’s missing. But as a parent, you know something was wrong. Because it was totally out of character, that’s what I told the officer, it was out of character,” Mike Wells told CP24 Friday.

On Friday, Chief Mark Saunders said the interaction between Wells’ father and police presented an opportunity for police to improve.

“Call it intake, when someone’s calling in, an element of sensitivity is something that is necessary – realizing what the circumstances are, is something that can go a long way,” Saunders said.

Wells told CP24 Friday he met with Chief Saunders privately and received an apology about how the case was handled.

“We had a decent meeting – he apologized again. He was very emphatic about everything, he listened to what I had to say, especially toward the gay community,” Mike Wells said.

Saunders said that officers from the professional standards section would be looking at the Wells case as part of a broader review of how Toronto police handle missing persons cases.

Sabadics said the police are still looking to speak with a man believed to be the last person to see Wells alive, sometime in early July. He was identified as Augustinus Balesdent, in his late 20s or early 30s.

Wells’ time of death has been estimated at July 15. Her cause of death is undetermined at this point.

Sabadics stressed that Wells’ body was badly decomposed when it was found, but all examination to this point has not revealed any sign of foul play.

Balesdent is asked to call 53 Division.