Police have had contact with homicide suspect
WATERLOO REGION — Police have made contact with a man who fled to the U.S. after the stabbing death of a Kitchener woman last month.
Waterloo Regional Police say they were in contact with Ager Mohsin Hasan as recently as Wednesday night, but his whereabouts south of the border are still unknown.
Hasan, 24, of Hamilton faces a second-degree murder charge in connection with 22-year-old Melinda Vasilije’s death on April 28. He fled that same day.
Insp. Mike Haffner said the conversation between investigators and Hasan happened through a “media platform.” They asked him to turn himself in to local law enforcement.
Haffner would not go into details about what Hasan told police.
“There is a conversation taking place … which is a good sign,” he said.
Hasan could be anywhere
south of the border, and the investigation remains at a “standstill” as police continue to locate him.
“We need him to turn himself in,” Haffner said.
Vasilije was found dead in her Country Hill Drive apartment on April 28. She died of multiple stab wounds.
Vasilije and Hasan had been in a relationship for about a year.
Hasan’s last known reported whereabouts were in Erie County, Pa., on April 28 where a man matching his description was seen switching licence plates in a Walmart parking lot.
In video footage, a man was seen removing a Pennsylvania state licence plate from a parked vehicle with the number EZV1654 and a police medallion attached to it, according to Pennsylvania State Police. The man was then seen attaching the stolen licence plate to a black Honda HR-V.
For the past few weeks, police have been looking for a black Honda HR-V with two possible licence plates. The other one is an Ontario plate, BPKT509.
Hasan has not been seen by law enforcement since April 28.
Haffner said Waterloo Regional Police continue to work with U.S. authorities to locate him. Police have been in contact with both Hasan’s and Vasilije’s families throughout the investigation, he said.
Haffner said Waterloo Regional Police are considering a social media campaign to help spread photos and information about Hasan through local law enforcement in the U.S.
The idea is to spread information that can “add a little encouragement” for Hasan to turn himself in to local police, he said. This would include local police agencies sharing photos of Hasan and the vehicle he is believed to be driving through their own social media platforms.
Hasan also faces charges for three counts of breach of recognizance for an alleged break-and-enter and alleged assaults at Vasilije’s Kitchener apartment on April 3. Police have said Vasilije was not a victim of the alleged assaults.
Hasan was under a court order to stay out of Waterloo Region and to not contact Vasilije.
Police ask anyone in contact with Hasan to encourage him to turn himself in to local law enforcement in the U.S. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 519-653-7700, ext. 8666.