Ford Mustang Linked to 2021 Leo Santostefano Murder Investigation
Body Was Found On Dobson Trail In Richmond In March, 2021
The Ottawa Police Service Homicide Unit is seeking assistance in identifying a person on interest in the 2021 homicide of 40-year-old Leo Santostefano.
On June 4, 2024, patrol officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop with a black Ford Mustang in the area of Greenbank Road and Hunt Club Road. As officers approached the vehicle to further investigate, the vehicle fled by u-turning and proceeding east on Hunt Club Road. The vehicle was later located abandoned.
As a result of forensic examination of the vehicle, the driver or occupant is linked to the unsolved homicide that occurred in the overnight hours of March 6-7, 2021.
Thanks to assistance from the public, the Homicide Unit is seeking further help in identifying a person of interest linked to the Ford Mustang and possibly the murder of Leo Santostefano.
The person of interest is described as a black male, between 6’0” (183 cm) and 6’5” (196 cm), with a large build. He was seen wearing a black and white tracksuit, black shoes and what appears to be designer glasses.
On Sunday, March 7 at approximately 9 a.m., a man’s body was discovered by a passerby on the snowmobile trail off Dobson Road in Richmond. Police blocked off McBean Street at Ottawa Street, south of South Carleton High School, while investigators worked the scene.
Police identified the victim as 40-year-old Leo Santostefano of Gloucester.
At the time, Ottawa Police told the Manotick Messenger/RichmondHub that they were searching for a 2008 silver four-door Nissan Altima with fresh damage, scratches on the rear left side of the bumper, and part of the muffler missing. The Ontario license plate was CKZC 717. The vehicle has since been recovered.
The first information about the black mustang was released to the media after the June 4, 2024 traffic stop incident.
Ivana Santostefano, the victim’s mother, told CBC that her son was a gentle soul. She also said she had last seen him the day before his body was recovered. She said she saw him when he left for the store that morning, and she knew something was wrong when she didn’t hear from him again.
She added that she and her family felt “something was wrong,” according to her CBC interview. “He was just a wonderful guy,” she said. “The gentlest soul you’d ever meet.”
Santostefano was known by many in the local recreational soccer and hockey communities.
Anyone with information regarding the identity of the person in the pictures or information relating to who may have been driving the vehicle on June 4th, 2024, is asked to contact the Ottawa Police Service Homicide Unit 613-236-1222, extension 5493.
Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477(TIPS) or at crimestoppers.ca.
