Joshua Bennett, an 18-year-old Black male from Etobicoke, was killed in Kitchener, Ontario, during the night of September 23 into September 24, 2021. Although the homicide occurred in Kitchener, police identified Bennett as being from Etobicoke, and later reporting said he had been living in Waterloo while attending Conestoga College. He was enrolled in the college’s Carpentry and Renovation Technician program when his life was cut short.
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Investigators later reconstructed at least part of Bennett’s final known movements. Police said he arrived in the area of 60 Paulander Drive at approximately 6:30 p.m. on September 23. During the next hour, he was seen interacting with several people around 60 and 40 Paulander Drive. At approximately 7:25 p.m., surveillance footage captured an unidentified individual wearing a long dark coat leaving the area near 40 Paulander Drive. Bennett and two other individuals were then seen heading in the same direction. That sequence became an important part of the investigation because there remained a significant gap between those sightings and what happened several hours later. :chatgpt-content-reference
At approximately 4:30 a.m. on September 24, Waterloo Regional Police were dispatched to the Paulander Drive area after receiving a report of an injured person. Officers searched near a trail and found Bennett outside, deceased. He was not immediately identified publicly, and police initially released a physical description in an effort to determine who he was. His identity was confirmed the following day. A post-mortem examination subsequently established that he had suffered multiple stab wounds, and investigators classified his death as a homicide. Police have said they believe the fatal attack occurred sometime between September 23 and September 24. :chatgpt-content-reference
The investigation was handled by Waterloo Regional Police Service personnel, including the Major Crime Unit. During the months after the killing, investigators canvassed the Paulander Drive neighbourhood, gathered information and reviewed digital evidence. By December 2021, then-police chief Bryan Larkin said investigators believed there were people in the neighbourhood who knew more about what had happened but had not provided that information to police. The case therefore developed into one in which investigators repeatedly appealed to witnesses or others with knowledge to come forward. :chatgpt-content-reference
As the investigation continued, police focused public attention on the unidentified individual wearing the long dark coat who had been captured in the Paulander Drive area on the evening before Bennett was found. Waterloo Regional Police have said they want to identify and speak with that person. Publicly available police information does not identify that individual as Bennett’s killer or formally name that person as a suspect, and investigators have not released the name of any alleged perpetrator. Police have also continued to say they believe several people in the community may possess information capable of advancing the case. :chatgpt-content-reference
On the third anniversary of the killing in September 2024, Waterloo Regional Police announced a reward of up to $50,000 for credible information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of the person or persons responsible. Bennett’s mother, Felisha Bennett, appeared with police and appealed to people who knew something about her son’s death to come forward, emphasizing that the family was still waiting for answers. Investigators again publicized footage connected with the unidentified individual in the long coat in hopes that someone would recognize the person or provide additional information about the events surrounding Bennett’s death. :chatgpt-content-reference
The investigation has remained active through the years that followed. On September 24, 2026, five years after Bennett was killed, Waterloo Regional Police again appealed publicly for information and confirmed that the reward of up to $50,000 remained available. The homicide remained unsolved, with police still seeking information that could lead to the arrest and prosecution of whoever was responsible. No arrest, criminal charge, trial or conviction in Bennett’s killing has been publicly announced, and no perpetrator has been publicly identified. :chatgpt-content-reference
