Nearly two weeks after top Surinamese business executive Rodney Leysner vanished without a trace, the high-profile missing person case has entered a critical new phase with the arrival of specialized international support. On August 31, a 15-member search team from the Netherlands, accompanied by eight sniffer dogs specifically trained for locating missing people, touched down in Paramaribo to boost local investigation efforts, following formal approval from Suriname’s Public Prosecution Service (OM).
Leysner, Chief Commercial Officer of leading Surinamese company Rudisa International, was last seen on Saturday, August 15, when he left his home in his white Kia Sorento to attend a work appointment in the district of Saramacca. He never returned, and when all attempts to contact him failed, Rudisa filed an official missing person report with Surinamese police the following day, prompting the Capital Crimes Unit to launch a full investigation.
What began as a routine missing person inquiry quickly escalated into a major criminal investigation after a key breakthrough: investigators discovered a crushed, burned-out vehicle in a swampy area of Saramacca. Forensic analysis confirmed the vehicle’s chassis number matched Leysner’s Kia, proving the car had been intentionally destroyed and hidden to cover up foul play.
To date, four people have been named as official suspects in the case. Three are already in custody: a Cuban couple identified only as S.A. and Y.S.N., and a third suspect named E.R. A examining judge has already upheld the legality of their detentions, and all three remain in pre-trial custody. Surinamese law enforcement has declined to share details of the suspects’ alleged roles, noting the investigation remains in a sensitive stage, and public disclosure of information could jeopardize progress.
The fourth suspect, Ryan Torilal, remains at large. Torilal was initially questioned by police as a witness, but new evidence uncovered during the investigation upgraded his status to that of a formal suspect. Suriname’s Prosecutor General has issued a formal order for his arrest, charging him with offences including murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault resulting in death, intentional kidnapping, accessory to a crime, and participation in a criminal organization. Police have warned the public that Torilal is considered armed and dangerous, and highly likely to attempt to flee authorities.
Despite the arrest of three suspects and the recovery of Leysner’s destroyed vehicle, no trace of the executive himself has been found. Commissioner Eshita Hunte, head of the Surinamese Police’s Serious Crime Combat Division, recently refuted unconfirmed social media claims that a body had been discovered, stressing that no remains have been located. While the nature of the charges against the suspects indicates authorities are treating the case as a potential homicide, Leysner’s fate has not been officially confirmed, and the search for him remains the core priority of the investigation.
Suriname currently lacks local canine units specifically trained to search for missing people – the country’s existing sniffer dogs are primarily trained to combat drug trafficking. The deployment of the Dutch team will significantly expand the investigation’s search capabilities, with the specialists set to operate in close consultation and under the full supervision of Surinamese authorities. All findings from the search operation will be immediately shared with local lead investigators, who retain full control of the overall criminal investigation. More than two weeks after Leysner’s disappearance, the central question of the case remains unanswered: where is Rodney Leysner?