Sahil Kumar, a 22-year-old international student from India who had recently arrived in Canada, was found dead in Toronto 10 days after he was reported missing. Kumar vanished on May 16 near the busy Yonge and Dundas intersection in downtown Toronto. His body was recovered from water on May 26, though police did not publicly announce the discovery until days later.
Kumar had just begun a web design program at Humber College after moving to Hamilton in April. According to his family, this was his first time living away from home. “He was happy. He had no problems. He called home every day,” said Akshay Yadav, Kumar’s uncle, speaking from the family’s village in India. “He told us: ‘Next time, I want to bring grandma with me. It feels good here.’”
Kumar’s last contact with his family was a phone call made from a GO train on the afternoon of May 16. Later that day, his phone went silent. Initially, his roommates assumed he had returned home and gone to sleep, but when he didn’t reappear, they became concerned and filed a missing persons report on May 20. On May 27, the family received the devastating message: Sahil’s body had been found in the water and was identified during a video call with Toronto police.
Police have offered little clarity. A spokesperson said the case “does not appear to be a criminal matter,” but the investigation remains open. The exact location of the body, cause of death, and circumstances leading up to the tragedy have not been disclosed. The family, struggling with grief and distance, says they’ve received few answers and feel abandoned by the system. “We were shocked. It was impossible to believe. Sahil even knew how to swim,” said Yadav. “We kept asking, ‘Why would he go to the beach? What happened?’ But we’ve gotten no clear answers.”
Without the resources or connections to press for further investigation, Kumar’s family says they feel helpless. “It feels like an injustice was done to us,” Yadav said. “We’re not wealthy. We don’t have the means to fight this.”
The family has begun to connect with others who have experienced similar tragedies. They referenced the case of Vedatman Poduval, a York University student who went missing on June 2 and was found dead four days later. They also mentioned a student in Ottawa who died under mysterious circumstances in April. Each case involved a young Indian international student found in water under unclear conditions. “When this happens again and again, it should raise questions,” Yadav said.
CBC News has reached out to police in both Toronto and Ottawa to ask whether these deaths are being investigated in coordination or as part of a broader pattern, but has not received a response.
As families grieve and search for answers, the growing number of deaths among international students in Canada is prompting concern — not only about safety and support but about the silence that often follows these tragedies.