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Provincial police are offering a $50,000 reward for information related to the hit-and-run crash that killed Steven Tate of Montague Township last year.
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Ontario Provincial Police announced Thursday that a $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the fatal hit-and-run crash near Smiths Falls.
Police found the body of 34-year-old Tate next to Highway 15 on Nov. 8, 2023. He had been reported missing on Nov. 3 and was last seen alive near Lombard and Lavinia streets in Smiths Falls around 6 a.m. that same day. (Previous OPP reports had incorrectly given that date as Nov. 4.)
His body was found five days later in a ditch off Highway 15, nearly seven kilometres from where he was last seen alive, on a stretch of country road north of town. The discovery was made near Kelly Jordan Road and Sturgess Road on the stretch of highway that runs from Smiths Falls to Carleton Place.
Midday Summary for Eastern Ontario
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OPP announced on Thursday that a dark-colored small car or sedan, probably a Mazda, was believed to be involved in the fatal accident. The vehicle is said to have damage to the passenger side.
Police released a video of the suspect vehicle earlier this year.
“Investigators would like to speak to anyone who may have seen a damaged car matching the description sometime after 8:00 p.m. on November 3, 2023,” police said.
A billboard has now been put up next to Highway 15, near where the victim's body was found.
“It is hoped that this will prompt someone to come forward with any detail they may remember from last November,” police added.
Bill Dickson, spokesman for the OPP East Region, said Thursday that police are “upping the ante” with this financial incentive after other investigative options have been exhausted.
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“We know someone out there has information that will lead to an arrest or conviction,” Dickson said.
Members of the Lanark County OPP Criminal Investigation Unit, under the direction of the Criminal Investigation Unit, continued the investigation into this case with assistance from the OPP Accident Reconstructionists and Technical Accident Investigation Team, in collaboration with the Office of the Chief Coroner and the Ontario Provincial Forensic Pathology Service.
In June, the victim's mother, Donna Tate, made an emotional video appeal to anyone with information to come forward.
“Be honest and face it, because they say there is no worse pain in the world than losing your child, and I have been suffering since my child died,” Donna said in the video created jointly with the OPP.
“I miss his smile every day. I miss his hugs every day,” Donna said.
“He meant everything to me. He was my only child.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lanark OPP at 1-888-310-1122. To remain anonymous, individuals may call Lanark County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
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