On August 26, Suriname police officially launched a public manhunt for Ryan Kenneth Torilal, a 42-year-old suspect connected to the high-profile disappearance of Rodney Leysner, Chief Commercial Officer of local beverage company Rudisa. The country’s prosecutor-general has ordered the immediate arrest and pre-trial arraignment of Torilal, who faces a slate of serious criminal charges including murder, manslaughter, intentional kidnapping, and participation in a organized criminal enterprise.
Law enforcement has issued a critical public warning: Torilal is considered armed and an extreme flight risk. The official manhunt order was formally issued on Wednesday, just hours after Ishita Hunte, commissioner of the Police’s Heavy Crime Control Division (BZC), confirmed to reporters during a leadership press briefing that the manhunt process was in its final preparation stages.
Per the official police warrant, Torilal, who was born in Paramaribo on August 20, 1984, is wanted for a series of felony offenses. Beyond participation in a criminal organization and the murder and manslaughter charges tied to Leysner’s disappearance, he is also suspected of aiding and abetting these crimes, committing aggravated assault with premeditation that resulted in death, unlawful deprivation of liberty, and harboring a criminal.
The prosecutor-general has released three known residential addresses linked to Torilal, all located in Paramaribo: Galileistraat, Jansteenstraat, and Okerstraat.
Investigators outlined that the suspect’s status shifted over the course of the probe. Hunte confirmed earlier Wednesday that Torilal was initially questioned as a person of interest, not a formal suspect, in the disappearance investigation. His classification was upgraded to suspect following new developments in the case, a change Hunte said was rooted in “the facts and circumstances at that stage” of the inquiry. She emphasized that police must complete a series of mandatory procedural steps before labeling an individual a formal suspect, and the same regulatory requirements apply to launching a public manhunt.
Before a public manhunt can be authorized, sufficient evidence tying the person of interest to the crime must be gathered, and consultations with the Public Prosecution Service are required. Internal case review and targeted searches are always conducted before a public appeal for information is launched.
To date, three other suspects have already been taken into custody and remanded in connection with the Leysner case. On Wednesday, a judge-commissioner formally validated the lawfulness of their detention.
Suriname police are urging any member of the public with information about Torilal’s current whereabouts to contact the Capital Crimes Division directly at 403645 or 403252, reach the national police Command Center at 115, or visit the closest local police station to share details.