Hamilton police rule missing man Marcin Sydor's death a homicide

The search for Marcin Sydor ended the way every missing-person case dreads most: with a homicide ruling and a shoreline recovery in Hamilton Harbour. Police said the 48-year-old man, who vanished after last being seen in Hamilton on April 21, was found dead at about 8:00 a.m. on Friday, May 29, near Pier 16 by 386 Wilcox Street.

That discovery turned a missing-person file into a homicide investigation. Hamilton police said Sydor was first reported missing on April 27, after family members had not heard from him, and investigators spent the following weeks pursuing numerous avenues because his disappearance was out of character and inconsistent with his usual behaviour. The body was recovered with help from the Hamilton Police Marine Unit, and a post-mortem examination determined the death was a homicide.

Police have not released the cause of death or details about Sydor’s injuries, a sign that investigators are still protecting the integrity of the case. That leaves the central questions untouched: who was with Sydor in the days after he was last seen, what happened between April 21 and May 29, and why his black 2014 Volkswagen Jetta with tinted windows has become such a key part of the investigation.

The missing-person notice described Sydor as a White male, about 5-foot-6, with a medium build, white and grey short hair, and green eyes. Police said he may also have been using the aliases Martin Sydor, Bartosz Sydor, or Martin Bond. He was last seen wearing a black crew-neck sweater, red T-shirt, light brown sweatpants, and brown-and-black hiking shoes. Investigators asked anyone who had contact with him, or anyone who saw the black Jetta, to contact the Homicide Unit or Crime Stoppers Hamilton.

A June 1 media advisory set out a 11:00 a.m. press event at Hamilton Police Central Station, 155 King William Street, in the Bill Sturrup Room, under case number 26-649457. Police also extended condolences to Sydor’s family and loved ones. For now, the case stands where the hardest true-crime stories always do, at the point where a missing man becomes a homicide victim and the search for answers begins all over again.