In the winter of 1982, a man named Jona Naif Rashid, who was also known to some as 'John,' vanished from Toronto, Ontario, leaving behind a mystery that has endured for decades. On the evening of Friday, January 15, he was last seen in the vicinity of Weston Road and St. Phillips Road. It is believed that he may have visited the Gasworks Tavern, a place he often frequented, which was then located in the area of Yonge Street and Dundonald Street.
The day before he disappeared, he had called his sister-in-law to say he would be coming for dinner, a dinner he would never make. Three days after he was last seen, on January 18, 1982, he was officially reported as a missing person. At the time he went missing, Jona was a male of 34 years. He had immigrated to Canada from Israel at the age of 20 and worked as a general labourer.
Jona was described as being five feet, ten inches tall, and weighing around 150 pounds. He had black, wavy hair, brown eyes, a black moustache, and a deep voice. The last time anyone saw him, he was wearing a brown, waist-length, bomber-style leather jacket, blue jeans, and a navy blue long-sleeved sweater. He and his wife did not have any children, and there is no record of him ever having returned to his birth country of Israel. For years, his disappearance remained a cold case with very few details available to the public or investigators.
Decades after he was last seen, the Toronto Police Service renewed efforts to bring closure to his family, highlighting the case once more in the public eye. They released a photograph of Jona, hoping to trigger someone's memory. Over the many years that have passed, several of Jona's family members have passed away without knowing what happened to him. His brother, in particular, has remained a driving force behind the continued search, expressing a deep need for closure after so many years of uncertainty. Despite the passage of time, investigators with the Homicide and Missing Persons Unit remain committed to solving the case of what happened to Jona Naif Rashid, a man who seemingly disappeared without a trace one January night.Last Seen: Jan 15, 1982
