Police seek two men in connection with Balaquit missing-person case

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This article was published 26/06/2018 (2374 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police are seeking to identify two men who may have information that could lead to a break in the case of Eduardo Balaquit, who vanished more than three weeks ago.

The Winnipeg Police Service released surveillance photos of two men Wednesday, and asked for the public’s help in tracking them down.

“We believe somebody knows who these individuals are. The first image shows the face of the individual, and we’re asking anyone who recognizes him to come forward. The second series of photos shows an individual riding a bike. That individual is wearing some pretty distinct clothing: black track pants with a red stripe all the way down the side and white sandals with blue straps,” Const. Jay Murray said.

“We believe these are individuals who may be able to provide assistance in this investigation, and we’re asking for the public’s help in identifying these two individuals.”

Murray was unable to say whether the men are potential suspects.

When reached for comment by the Free Press, Balaquit’s family said they were told by police the two men were “persons of interest” in the case.

The surveillance photos were taken in Winnipeg, but the WPS did not release dates or locations.

Balaquit, 59, went missing the evening of June 4, after leaving for work on the 300 block of Keewatin Street. His vehicle was found abandoned nearby the next day, with a window smashed, some belongings scattered on the ground and his cellphone inside.

Homicide investigators took over the case from the missing persons unit, with police later saying they believe Balaquit was the victim of a crime.

On June 13, police announced their investigation had led them to the Interlake region, with an expanded search underway in the area surrounding the town of Arborg, some 100 kilometres north of Winnipeg. Active searches in the area wrapped up by the end of that week, however, and it remains unclear what — if anything — investigators found.

Since then, Balaquit’s family and volunteers — led by his sons, Edward and Erwin — have been combing through the fields and ditches surrounding Arborg in search of any clues.

“We were made aware this morning that photos were going to be released. Right now, we’re still up in Arborg. We’re talking to locals, who’ve supplied us with ATVs and things like that. We’ve been searching 20 hours a day. We’re not really getting any sleep, but we’ve got to keep going. We have one goal… to bring him home. We’re not going to stop,” Erwin Balaquit said.

He said the family is doing its best to stay positive, despite false rumours a body has been found.

“Those rumours go around like wildfires. It blows up pretty fast and, yeah, it does hurt when you hear it. I try to block that out. It’s a roller-coaster, so I just try to avoid it. Because I know he’s out there. I know he’s out there somewhere.”

Murray was unable to say whether investigators still consider the Arborg area significant to the investigation, or whether the focus has shifted back to Winnipeg. However, he said progress has been made.

“Homicide investigators have been working tirelessly on this investigation. They’ve been relentless. This is still very active. By no means is this a stalled investigation,” Murray said.

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @rk_thorpe