Why detectives suspect foul play in disappearance of GTA lawyer accused of mortgage fraud
CBC
On the night of March 3, in the middle of a treacherous snowstorm, Isabella Dan stepped out of her Markham, Ont., condominium and into a Porsche Cayenne parked out front.
Surveillance footage shows she got in willingly before the car drove off.
That was the last time the 53-year-old real estate lawyer was seen, and detectives have now confirmed to CBC News that they believe Dan has met with foul play.
CBC News first reported about Dan's mysterious disappearance last month, shedding light on the months before through publicly available financial and court documents.
New documents are now painting a picture of further challenges Dan was facing at the time she went missing. CBC News has learned that when she disappeared, Dan was facing allegations of professional misconduct and complaints from clients accusing her of fraud and mishandling their money. The revelations are contained in court filings from the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) — the regulatory body that oversees lawyers.
Meanwhile, police investigators tell CBC News there are troubling signs Dan may not have planned her own disappearance.
"When officers went to her condominium they found there was still food in the residence. There were items left behind that's out of character for her that she'd normally take with her," said Det. Sgt. Courtney Coulson of the York Regional Police Homicide Unit.
"Other stuff that makes us believe that she's met foul play is that her financial activity — bank accounts that we're aware of and her phone activity — has completely dropped off."
The Porsche Cayenne that Dan got into on March 3 at about 8:22 p.m. belonged to a business associate of hers, said Coulson.
"We were able to determine that her associate dropped off Isabella at an unknown location where she was supposed to meet with another unknown person," Coulson told CBC News.
That associate has provided a statement to police, however investigators say they still don't know precisely where Dan was dropped off and are looking at two locations.
"We believe that area was along Hwy 7 between Warden Avenue and Leslie Street in the city of Markham, or along Yonge Street between York Mills and Eglinton in the city of Toronto."
Beyond that pick-up and drop-off, investigators don't know Dan's whereabouts.
"That's where it goes dark for us," Coulson said.
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