Roman Perelstein was 45 years old when his family reported him missing in the summer of 2022. For nearly three years, his case remained an unresolved disappearance. What no one searching for Roman initially knew was that human remains had already been discovered and that it would take years before investigators learned they belonged to him.
Roman lived in Richmond Hill, Ontario. According to his original missing-person information, he was last seen in the area of Bathurst Street and Orchard Heights Boulevard in Aurora. Canada’s Missing listed his disappearance date as July 26, 2022, while the original York Regional Police appeal described him as having last been seen approximately three weeks before he was reported missing. His family reported his disappearance to York Regional Police on August 30, 2022.
By the time police issued their public appeal, Roman’s friends and family had been unable to contact him. This was considered out of character, and investigators asked the public for assistance in locating him so they could confirm that he was safe.
Roman was described as approximately 6’2″ tall and 220 pounds, with a medium build, fair complexion, brown eyes, short brown-and-grey hair and a brown-and-grey goatee. He was last known to be wearing shorts. Additional information from Canada’s Missing indicated that Roman was missing four upper teeth and had a dental prosthesis. He also had a surgical scar on one knee and a tattoo on his right shoulder consisting of the dates “02.25.35 – 07.01.18.”
For those following Roman’s disappearance, there appeared to be no explanation for where he had gone. His family couldn’t reach him, police couldn’t locate him, and the public appeal produced no resolution.
But another investigation was already underway roughly 30 kilometres away.
On August 21, 2022 – nine days before Roman was reported missing – human remains were discovered along a trail near Sideline 20 and Concession Road 8 in Pickering, Ontario. The condition of the remains prevented investigators from identifying the person at the time. There was consequently no known public connection between the unidentified remains in Pickering and the missing man from Richmond Hill.
Roman remained missing through 2023 and 2024. His photograph and identifying information continued to circulate while his family waited for answers.
Then, in March 2025, the two investigations finally converged.
Using dental records, investigators positively identified the Pickering remains as Roman Perelstein. The very dental information that had formed part of his missing-person record ultimately helped establish his identity.
The identification answered one enormous question: Roman was no longer missing.
But it opened an even more troubling one.
How did Roman die?
Investigators determined that Roman’s death was a homicide. Police did not immediately make the identification and homicide investigation public. Instead, the investigation continued, eventually involving the York Regional Police Cold Case Section.
More than a year after Roman’s remains were identified, investigators made an arrest.
On May 21, 2026, York Regional Police charged 49-year-old Suren Khizguiiaev of Harwich Township with accessory after the fact to murder and indignity to a dead body. Police publicly announced the development on June 4, 2026.
There is an important distinction in those charges. Khizguiiaev has not been charged with murdering Roman. An accessory-after-the-fact charge alleges involvement after a murder has occurred; it does not allege that the accused committed the murder itself. The charges have not been proven in court, and Khizguiiaev is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
That distinction leaves one of the biggest questions in Roman’s case unanswered: who killed him?
Police have released very little publicly about what they believe happened between Roman’s last known sighting in Aurora and the discovery of his remains in Pickering. They have not publicly explained where Roman was killed, how he died, how his remains came to be along the Pickering trail, or what relationship, if any, existed between Roman and the man now charged.
The dates create a haunting timeline.
Roman was last known to have been seen in the summer of 2022. On August 21, human remains were discovered in Pickering. On August 30, his family, still unable to reach him had reported him missing. At that point, there was no publicly known connection between the unidentified person found nine days earlier and the man Roman’s family was desperately trying to find.
It would take approximately two and a half more years for dental records to give Roman his name back.
For his family, the identification brought an end to the uncertainty over whether Roman might someday return home, but it did not bring an end to the search for answers. His missing-person case had transformed into a homicide investigation.
Even with the 2026 arrest, investigators have made it clear that the case is not finished.
York Regional Police say the investigation remains ongoing and continue to appeal to anyone with information to come forward. The Cold Case Section is handling the investigation as police work to establish the circumstances surrounding Roman’s death.
Roman Perelstein spent years publicly classified as a missing man while his unidentified remains waited for a name. Now that investigators know where Roman was found, the focus has shifted to the questions his original missing-person appeal could never answer.
What happened to Roman after he was last seen in Aurora? Who was with him during his final hours or days? How did he end up in Pickering? What happened before his remains were discovered along that trail?
And most importantly, who killed Roman Perelstein?
Nearly four years after his disappearance, one person has been charged in connection with what allegedly happened afterward, but no one has publicly been charged with taking Roman’s life.
His missing-person case has been resolved.
His homicide has not.
Sources: York Regional Police, Canada’s Missing, NewmarketToday, CityNews Toronto, and Durham Radio News.
Leave a Reply