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A Saskatoon murder suspect has the dubious honour of appearing on the list of Canada’s top 25 wanted fugitives.
The Bolo Program — which aims to share information on wanted Canadians through technology, social media and “innovative engagement” — announced its list of Canada’s top 25 most-wanted fugitives Monday.
Supt. Patrick Nogier with the Saskatoon Police Service was in Toronto for the Bolo event. He said Saskatoon police reached out to Bolo in 2022 in the hopes a Saskatoon homicide case would be considered.
The Bolo Program, a private organization, acts as a philanthropic entity, Nogier explained, offering rewards for information ranging from $50,000 to $250,000. He said its top-25 list could be likened to America’s Most Wanted.
Saskatoon’s Jonathan Ouellet-Gendron came in at No. 10 on the list.
According to police, Ouellet-Gendron is wanted for first-degree murder and is believed to be armed and dangerous.
The charge followed a homicide that happened on Melrose Avenue on May 19, 2022, police said.
Nogier said the case is still before the courts, but added a few details.
He said the homicide was not a random occurrence and firearms were used. The crime involved multiple victims and “brazen acts of pulling the trigger of a firearm to inflict harm and pain.” The homicide, he added, happened in the residential area in the middle of the day.
Ouellet-Gendron is one of two people wanted in the case on first-degree murder charges. He also has some outstanding firearms charges, Nogier added.
Nogier said Saskatoon police knew Ouellet-Gendron had gone underground and were having difficulty finding him. Nogier said the hope is to generate new leads through Bolo, now that the case has been shared nationally by that organization.
Police described Ouellet-Gendron as 5-foot-6 in height, weighing about 140 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
“He has several tattoos including a Mayan statue on his right hand, a black rose on his left wrist, and a gorilla on his upper torso,” the Saskatoon Police Service said in a statement. “Members of the public should not approach him.”
Anyone who sees Ouellet-Gendron was urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
Nogier said police do not think Ouellet-Gendron is still in Saskatchewan, and have been in contact with law enforcement in other jurisdictions. He said they’ve heard about some leads coming up in the eastern part of Canada.
The superintendent said it’s a case that highlights the importance of staying on top of what’s happening in your own community.
There’s no specific criteria for deciding how to rank the top 25 wanted fugitives in the country. Nogier explained that the ranking is based on information provided to the program by law enforcement and ranked by a board made up of investigators, civilians and Bolo Program representatives.
Factors like the seriousness of the offence and proximity to public areas might be considered, Nogier suggested, though he noted the top 25 will often evolve as new cases come up and new information comes to light.
The full list of Canada’s top 25 most-wanted fugitives can be found on the Bolo Program’s website.
–With files from Brent Bosker and Libby Giesbrecht
