CANADA Canada- Eli Wood, 25, student@ Sir Wilfred Laurier Univ., missing after fire (poss. arson)@ home, Kitchener, Ont.,19 Oct., 2025, *Foul play suspected*

[Claroon]

Understandably it's not safe for community searches but how is it that in Quebec where the winter conditions are far more extreme, their search and rescue team spent 10 days in February 2025 searching through frigid conditions, snow, ice and dangerous terrain with drones, people in wet suits etc, going through forests, trails, body of water near Mount Tremblant for another missing person?

It's horrifying that 81 days have gone by with no answers and no safe return of EW.

I feel for EW and his family every day. No real progress, his family putting up a reward, it shows a failure in the legal system IMHO.

Crimestoppers has an office in Kitchener and they are not actively postering, fundraising for ads, or doing outreach.
Waterloo Airport is right there - more than enough pilots in the area (there's even a flight school there) who could have flown over the neighbourhood and along the trails of the grand river to film for evidence before the first snow fall.

Something doesn't add up.

This case raises many concerns that the city of Kitchener-Waterloo does not care that a student from Nova Scotia who believed and trusted it would be a good place to finish their Masters of Social Work degree was targeted for such a violent crime - his apartment burned, his dog killed in the fire and he has "vanished".

No one's come forward from the organizations EW did his placements, No profs, No colleagues. Even the local 2SLGBTQ1A+ organization waited until Dec 4 to say anything.

It makes the work of a small group of people who care in that community all that more important.

For perspective, a few years ago an intoxicated student from the UK went missing and the community effort was exceptional to locate him within 24 hours.

For EW... not so much

I hear your frustration. Not having more details is incredibly hard, and I think many people feel the same way. Regarding the Quebec situations, Search and Rescue teams there are usually responding to wilderness cases of hikers, skiers, or people lost in areas where they have a general starting point. Eli’s situation is much different, IMO. It is urban, and that kind of investigation relies on very different tools, especially digital and forensic work. The range of possibilities in a city is much wider as to where he might have been taken, which changes how it is approached.

Crime Stoppers is mostly volunteer‑run, and their main role is to provide an anonymous tip line and pass information to police. I don't believe they typically organize searches or public campaigns unless they’re partnering with a community group. I think a lot of us wish more could be done publicly, but each organization has a specific mandate and it's own restraints. I did notice they’re looking for volunteers, which shows how much they rely on community involvement.

As for interviews and outreach, I would assume law enforcement is speaking with the people and organizations connected to Eli, but we aren’t privy to those conversations. That part of the process is always behind the scenes to protect evidence, even when we wish we could see more of it.

As for the river area: the river is only one of many possibilities, and there is no public indication that police believe the river is the primary location. I think it was the 'medium' lady who posed that as a search area.

 

[LadyL]

nothing yet?
there has to be someone on ring cameras in the neighbourhood?

 

[Mayjusticeprevail]

I hear your frustration. Not having more details is incredibly hard, and I think many people feel the same way. Regarding the Quebec situations, Search and Rescue teams there are usually responding to wilderness cases of hikers, skiers, or people lost in areas where they have a general starting point. Eli’s situation is much different, IMO. It is urban, and that kind of investigation relies on very different tools, especially digital and forensic work. The range of possibilities in a city is much wider as to where he might have been taken, which changes how it is approached.

Crime Stoppers is mostly volunteer‑run, and their main role is to provide an anonymous tip line and pass information to police. I don't believe they typically organize searches or public campaigns unless they’re partnering with a community group. I think a lot of us wish more could be done publicly, but each organization has a specific mandate and it's own restraints. I did notice they’re looking for volunteers, which shows how much they rely on community involvement.

As for interviews and outreach, I would assume law enforcement is speaking with the people and organizations connected to Eli, but we aren’t privy to those conversations. That part of the process is always behind the scenes to protect evidence, even when we wish we could see more of it.

As for the river area: the river is only one of many possibilities, and there is no public indication that police believe the river is the primary location. I think it was the 'medium' lady who posed that as a search area.

In the case from Mount Tremblant, the person who went missing was last seen speaking with seasonal workers outside his hotel and then walking to the side of the hotel. The search and rescue team was engaged to go search the because there were suspicions of foul play because no use of phone or bank cards. When that person's wallet was found in a parking lot nearby a month later, the search and rescue team did another search. Perhaps taken more seriously because a tourist went missing in their ski resort village under suspicious circumstances.

As a MSW student of Laurier, who had student placements at various organizations that help at-risk youth, LE really should have executed a ground search immediately IMHO. In the very least, they could have said they are searching for a person who may have been injured in the fire. The blanket statement "We are concerned for EW's wellbeing" delayed everything, a lot of people came to the conclusion that he set the fire and ran away.

Something is way off that city officials and the university didn't step up immediately for a student from Nova Scotia in their final year at Laurier. They have done so for other students.

On Nov 20, the local MP brought up EW at Kitchener's Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to grieve those who have lost their lives due to transphobia and transphobic violence.

Many prominent community members who work in radio and community outreach services are only hearing about EW's case 80+ days after he went missing. There are folks on the facebook group working hard to do postering, canvasing, letter writing.

The Waterloo Crimestoppers website doesn't even show that EW is missing.

All in all still very much frustrated and hoping more is done to help EW and his family this year.

 

[Claroon]

nothing yet?
there has to be someone on ring cameras in the neighbourhood?

If there has been, LE has not released any information.

 

[Claroon]

Much of the grass is showing around the KW area today. I truly hope someone sees something. Perhaps those who wanted to do the River search could search the parks or bushy areas near Major St. ??

 

[Claroon]

I keep expecting an announcement that his body has been found. We don't want to talk in terms of death or body, but if his banking info, etc. is not showing movement and didn't contact family at Christmas, this leads me to think the worst. If he was thrown in the river, he will not surface until it warms up.

Recalling the Candace Derksen case, she was found tied up in a shed 6 weeks after she went missing in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The entire city was searching and it was a person who needed something from the work shed that found her frozen body. EW could be anywhere. I feel so bad for his parents and siblings.

I feel it is time for a law enforcement update. Certainly some digital trail has been noticed? Kitchener Waterloo is a high tech community! That being said, if someone in high tech was involved, they may have known how to make that info vanish. I hope not. (Speculations)

 

[Mayjusticeprevail]

I keep expecting an announcement that his body has been found. We don't want to talk in terms of death or body, but if his banking info, etc. is not showing movement and didn't contact family at Christmas, this leads me to think the worst. If he was thrown in the river, he will not surface until it warms up.

Recalling the Candace Derksen case, she was found tied up in a shed 6 weeks after she went missing in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The entire city was searching and it was a person who needed something from the work shed that found her frozen body. EW could be anywhere. I feel so bad for his parents and siblings.

I feel it is time for a law enforcement update. Certainly some digital trail has been noticed? Kitchener Waterloo is a high tech community! That being said, if someone in high tech was involved, they may have known how to make that info vanish. I hope not. (Speculations)

Yes, very hard not to consider these scenarios.
Largely why it’s beyond frustrating that there was no ground search done right after EW’s disappearance.

All speculation here too:

I looked into EW’s recent placement and it turns out it was a higher risk role than when he was a youth counsellor Feb - June 2025. He went from counselling at-risk youth to assisting street-involved adults.

Health & Wellness Friendly Communities is an organization that operates its main services in partnership with Community Healthcaring Kitchener-Waterloo (Home), which is located at 44 Francis Street South, Kitchener, ON N2G 2A2.

They also run programs via outreach services at a number of community partner sites across Kitchener that assist vulnerable clients experiencing homelessness and insecure housing as well as clients with mental health and addictions, and clients with criminal pasts.

EW walked to and from school and is very recognizable as a small person who is said to have carried his service dog in a carry pwith him everywhere he went.

The partner sites are all located near the Faculty of Social Work where EW attended classes and the food bank is a 10 minute walk north of his apartment.

Perhaps a client with issues may have gotten to know where EW lived and got fixated.

 

[Claroon]

I don't know how much of a search, but on a FB reply his mom said an initial search and canvassing had been done right away.

I suspect (my opinion only) that when the missing person is over 18, there is less of an urgency attached to it due to the free will of someone that age.

 

[Mayjusticeprevail]

I don't know how much of a search, but on a FB reply his mom said an initial search and canvassing had been done right away.

I suspect (my opinion only) that when the missing person is over 18, there is less of an urgency attached to it due to the free will of someone that age.

Ok that’s good. I never saw the mom’s post about immediate search or canvassing for EW.
Still a lot of members of community saying there was no search.

Isn’t a ground search standard procedure in Canada when foul play is suspected in disappearance? LE suspected that on Oct 22 but didn’t announce to media that they had grounds to suspect that until Nov 4.


More speculation
The lack of a proper ground search raises some questions about what info was disclosed in the initial 911 call and by the witnesses interviewed right away.

 

[Claroon]

In general, I'm finding all news reports are very vague. This could get flagged for being unrelated, but I was looking for other arson cases. Not much to go on here. Crews battle fire in downtown Kitchener that paused LRT service briefly

 

[tricia]

I don't know how much of a search, but on a FB reply his mom said an initial search and canvassing had been done right away.

I suspect (my opinion only) that when the missing person is over 18, there is less of an urgency attached to it due to the free will of someone that age.

Please provide the link. Remember when you post a fact you have to have the link to show us where you found your fact.
Thanks

 

[Mayjusticeprevail]

In general, I'm finding all news reports are very vague. This could get flagged for being unrelated, but I was looking for other arson cases. Not much to go on here. Crews battle fire in downtown Kitchener that paused LRT service briefly

Yes very vague news reports.

Locals say the building where the fire took place was empty and used by squatters.

It’s surprisingly close to The Working Centre, one of the sites that help street-involved adults.

 

[Claroon]

Please provide the link. Remember when you post a fact you have to have the link to show us where you found your fact.
Thanks

believe me I tried to find a MSM article and link. Can we post a Facebook snapshot? If you really need me to find where the mom said it, I'll try looking again, but it is a large cache of posts to go through. she said it as a reply to someone.

 

[tricia]

Thank you Claroon. Your post was verified by your private message.

 

[Claroon]

I've been researching the pros and cons of keeping the missing persons case active without getting in the way of LE, whose Major Crime Unit are still actively involved. Thus, I may create some posts with this in mind--to keep it active and prompt anyone who might have insight they don't realize.

Geographical Awareness Appeal:

This map shows the area of the last known site of EW who lived in a studio apartment at the rear of 25 Major Street, Kitchener.

Local Event Awareness Appeal:

While the city was celebrating the final night of Oktoberfest in various areas on October 18, Eli Wood was allegedly at home on Major Street. (This detail is shared only as a memory prompt for some to recall what they might have been doing on that weekend.)

If you were traveling through that neighborhood at any time Saturday night, or early in the morning on October 19, 2025, did you see any suspicious activity near that property? Did you see unusual vehicles or pedestrian activity between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. on Sunday?

If you retained dash cam and were in that area, can you please check it? If you have social media videos or photos from that area, can you please check backgrounds? (In a new post, I will share some anomalies to look for if you were in the area of Major Street.)

What Constitutes 'Area of Major St.?'

Access to the apartment where EW lived can be gained through a gate at the rear of the 25 Major Street property. There is a park behind the property (marked with yellow 'X'). The area would also include this section of Wellington St N, St. Leger St., and Breithaupt St. It may also include regions further out including the train tracks.

Contact with new details:

• WRPS Major Crime Unit: 519-570-9777 ext. 8191
• Crime Stoppers (Anonymous): 1-800-222-8477 or www.waterloocrimestoppers.com

 

[Claroon]

I've been researching the pros and cons of keeping the missing persons case active without getting in the way of LE, whose Major Crime Unit are still actively involved. Thus, I may create some posts with this in mind--to keep it active and prompt anyone who might have insight they don't realize.

Geographical Awareness Appeal:

This map shows the area of the last known site of EW who lived in a studio apartment at the rear of 25 Major Street, Kitchener.

View attachment 636825


Local Event Awareness Appeal:

While the city was celebrating the final night of Oktoberfest in various areas on October 18, Eli Wood was allegedly at home on Major Street. (This detail is shared only as a memory prompt for some to recall what they might have been doing on that weekend.)

If you were traveling through that neighborhood at any time Saturday night, or early in the morning on October 19, 2025, did you see any suspicious activity near that property? Did you see unusual vehicles or pedestrian activity between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. on Sunday?

If you retained dash cam and were in that area, can you please check it? If you have social media videos or photos from that area, can you please check backgrounds? (In a new post, I will share some anomalies to look for if you were in the area of Major Street.)

What Constitutes 'Area of Major St.?'

Access to the apartment where EW lived can be gained through a gate at the rear of the 25 Major Street property. There is a park behind the property (marked with yellow 'X'). The area would also include this section of Wellington St N, St. Leger St., and Breithaupt St. It may also include regions further out including the train tracks.

View attachment 636830


Contact with new details:

• WRPS Major Crime Unit: 519-570-9777 ext. 8191
• Crime Stoppers (Anonymous): 1-800-222-8477 or www.waterloocrimestoppers.com

Reviewing Photos & Videos From Oct 18–19

For anyone who was in the Kitchener/Major Street area on the night of October 18 or early morning of October 19, it may be helpful to take another look at any photos or videos from that timeframe. Sometimes the background of an image captures small details that didn’t seem important at the time. (See this article for the science behind that theory.)

These kinds of details can occasionally help establish timelines in missing‑person cases:
• unfamiliar vehicles parked on the street
• partial license plates or distinctive markings
• vehicles or people lingering longer than expected
• unusual movement, lighting, or activity in the distance
• if anyone filmed the fire itself, the background of those videos may show vehicles or individuals who were in the area before first responders arrived.

Even very small details can sometimes help police piece together what was happening in the neighbourhood that night. If anyone notices something that seems out of place, they can pass it along to WRPS Major Crime or Crime Stoppers.

• WRPS Major Crime Unit: 519-570-9777 ext. 8191
• Crime Stoppers (Anonymous): 1-800-222-8477 or www.waterloocrimestoppers.com

 

[Claroon]

Eli Wood was a national science fair winner. His project involved innovative technology related to mental health, which was described in public sources as “ground‑breaking.” This achievement was recognized nationally and is part of his documented history.

In 2024, he moved from Digby, Nova Scotia to Kitchener, Ontario to study for his Masters of Social Work degree with Laurier University studying at the Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work, located at 120 Duke Street West, Kitchener.

EW rented a studio apartment on the back of this triplex at 25 Major St. Kitchener for himself and his service dog he named Princess, as shown in this video. The house was for sale in November 2024, and April 2025. The backyard was renovated in 2025 as we can note from photos (no article). A gate allows access to and from Major Park at the rear. The property backs directly onto Major Park. This is an area bordered by industrial buildings and a CN rail line. This is included only as general geographic context; there is no information connecting EW to the rail line.

His last known contact was a phone call with his mother on October 18th. (This detail was shared in private Facebook groups; I do not have a public link.)

Oct 6, 2025, Eli wrote a public Facebook post about needing funds to be able to complete his Masters of Social Work degree. The post was set to public and there were 5 shares.

In it EW added a link to a GoFundMe.

This request was posted a mere 2 weeks before EW disappeared.

On October 19, fire officials responded to a fire at 25 Major Street, Kitchener at 6 am. Their official statement includes, "
The incident is being investigated as an arson. Investigators were not able to locate Eli Wood, the resident of the rear unit. At this time, foul play is suspected in Eli's disappearance. "

The rear unit was fully engulfed and sustained extensive damage. EW’s service dog, Princess, was found deceased inside the unit. This was confirmed in police statements and media reports. The Ontario Office of the Fire Marshal attended the scene.

Eli was not found at the scene of the fire. WRPS issued a missing‑person notice on October 22, 2025.


The weather that morning was mild as in this photo.

With these air temperatures, a person wouldn’t “freeze” outdoors in the literal sense—but cold water is a very different story. In water around 10–15°C, exhaustion can occur in 1–2 hours, with estimated survival time 1–6 hours, depending on many factors (body size, clothing, movement, etc.). Link: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthwise/hypothermia-and-cold-temperature-exposure. To access a body of water would require a vehicle from this location.

EW is described as approximately 4'10" tall and weighing between 85 and 95 pounds. This information has been confirmed in multiple public sources, including police releases and news reports.

There were multiple events in Kitchener that week (I will not name them all) There is no confirmation EW was connected to any of them. These are posted to add broader context to the general area.

1. Laurier hosted a Wellness in Education Conference / Expo on Oct 17–18 at the main campus Science building, but it is not confirmed that EW attended
The event was called:
“Wellbeing in Education Conference & Expo”
Held at Wilfrid Laurier University
October 17–18
It was a public, pre‑scheduled event focused on mental health, wellbeing, and education.

2. Multiple public event listings confirm that Kitchener‑Waterloo Oktoberfest 2025 ran from September 26 to October 18, 2025, making Saturday, October 18 the final night of the festival.

 

[Mayjusticeprevail]

Just some extra info re: MSW program that EW was enrolled in. The week up to EW being targeted was Reading Week: Oct. 13-17 2025

No in person classes - Link to schedule

Other noteworthy details for October 2025 at Wilfrid Laurier:

Wilfrid Laurier published the

Gendered and Sexual Violence Annual Report 2024-2025
Date: Oct. 08, 2025
Report period: May 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025 (academic year)


This is also when The Men’s Group: Bridging Conversations peer-support initiative at Wilfrid Laurier University (designed to provide a space for male-identifying students to connect, discuss personal challenges, and build supportive relationships) started its session series: October 8, 2025, running weekly until November 26, 2025, Wednesdays from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.

 

[Claroon]

I was curious to know when, if at all, any evidence would have become snow covered. I looked up several environmental conditions in Kitchener on those dates.

Back to October 18-19, 2025 and beyond weather:

October 2025 had essentially no measurable snow in Kitchener-Waterloo.
Historical monthly snowfall data for Kitchener-Waterloo shows 0.0 cm of snow recorded for October 2025.

The first notable snow event of the 2025–26 season came November 9–10, 2025. Accumulation throughout the day built steadily, with ~6 cm by mid-morning and around 13–14 cm by late evening.

Temperatures stayed mild through mid- to late October, not cold enough for significant snow or persistent ground frost.

When leaves actually fell in Kitchener (Fall 2025)

On Oct 18–19 (the disappearance + fire):
• Leaves were falling, but not yet deep.
• The ground would have been visible in most areas.
• Searchers would have had clear visibility.

Nothing in Major Park would have been hidden by leaves during the critical early window (Oct 18–25).
The ground was still too clear.


Mid‑October (Oct 10–20)
This includes the weekend of Oct 18–19.
• Leaf fall increases significantly.

The sun set in Kitchener on October 18, 2025 at 18:32 (6:32 pm) and rose on October 19, 2025 at 07:42 (7:42 am). Link here.

 

[Claroon]

More interesting tidbits. I was curious about how dark the area around 25 Major St. would have been on the night of Oct 18/19, so I looked up the environmental conditions for that date. The combination of moon phase and cloud cover gives a pretty clear picture:

HOW DARK WAS IT at 25 Major St., Kitchener October 18/19?

Moon Phase — October 18–19, 2025 (Kitchener)
Waning Crescent — extremely thin, only 5–8% illumination
• Oct 18: ~7.7% illumination
• Oct 19: ~3.2% illumination
• Moonrise:
• Oct 18 → 4:43 am
• Oct 19 → 5:47 am
• Moonset:
• Oct 18 → 5:19 pm
• Oct 19 → 5:36 pm

What this means
During the entire night of Oct 18–19, the moon was below the horizon until early morning.
Even when it rose, it was a tiny crescent with almost no usable light.
→ The night was effectively moonless.

Cloud Cover — October 18–19, 2025 (Kitchener)
From the WeatherSpark cloud‑cover history:

October 18, 2025
• Evening cloud cover: ~60–80% (mostly cloudy to overcast)
• Overnight cloud cover: ~70–90%
October 19, 2025
• Early morning cloud cover: ~80–90% (overcast)

What this means
Even if the moon had been bright, the cloud cover would have blocked it.
→ The night was extremely dark:
moonless + heavy cloud + unlit park + industrial zone shadows. Major Park doesn't appear to have lighting.

Taken together, these conditions suggest that the area around Major Park would have been extremely dark throughout the night, with very limited natural or artificial light. No snow on the ground, very little leaf fall.

Though we have posts asking "did you see anything?" It seems it may have been very difficult to see much in the darkness.