Nearly a week after high-ranking Rudisa executive Rodney Leysner vanished without a trace following his departure from home, Suriname police have upgraded the missing person case to a potential criminal investigation, with three suspects already taken into custody and a fourth currently at large. Investigators have also recovered a burnt vehicle excavated from a swamp on a remote plot of land in the Saramacca district, where Leysner was believed to be heading the day he disappeared.
Leysner, who serves as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of leading Surinamese company Rudisa, left his residence on Saturday, August 15, in his white Kia Sorento and has not been heard from since. His disappearance was reported to law enforcement the following day on August 16, and the country’s Capital Crimes division has since led the ongoing investigation.
As investigators followed multiple leads of inquiry, four people have been identified as persons of interest in the case. A couple identified only by their initials S.A. and Y.S.N. were the first to be arrested, brought before a court, and remanded into custody. Surinamese nationals T.R. and R.E. were subsequently linked to the case, and R.E. has also been arrested and detained. As of press time on August 21, police have conducted searches at multiple addresses linked to T.R., but the suspect remains at large.
Multiple search and investigation operations have been carried out across Saramacca district in recent days, and the progress of these searches and emerging evidence have led investigators to treat the case as a potential felony. Police spokesperson Michel Elskamp noted that law enforcement is still exploring all possible scenarios related to the disappearance, and has not ruled out any outcomes at this stage of the inquiry.
In one key development from the searches, investigators uncovered a burnt vehicle half-submerged in a swamp on a remote plot in Saramacca. A forensics team was on site to assist with the excavation, and the vehicle has been impounded for comprehensive technical testing to confirm whether it is indeed the white Kia Sorento that Leysner was driving when he left home. Police have stressed that no confirmation has yet been made that the recovered vehicle belongs to Leysner.
Elskamp emphasized that despite the serious developments in the case, Leysner has still not been located, and law enforcement is working to prevent unconfirmed speculation about the executive’s fate. The investigation into Leysner’s disappearance, the recovered vehicle, and the suspects’ potential involvement remains active and ongoing.
Police have issued an urgent public appeal for any information that could help locate Leysner and advance the case. According to law enforcement, public tips and information from community members are critical to clarifying the circumstances of the disappearance as quickly as possible. The Capital Crimes division will continue leading the investigation, and police say they will release additional updates only when the progress of the inquiry allows and when public disclosure will not compromise the ongoing investigation.