Viswa Vanapalli
The way Alloura Wells’ disappearance and death in 2017 were handled brought about immense criticism against the Toronto Police in Canada. The second half of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Still a Mystery: Danger at Close Range’ focuses on Alloura’s early life and the events leading up to her sudden vanishing. The show also chronicles the authorities’ response after she was reported missing. So, if you’re curious about what happened to Alloura, here’s what we know.
How Did Alloura Wells Die?
Alloura Wells was born as a boy but came out to her family at the age of 18. She was the third of four children and was described as a shy but sweet person growing up. Alloura’s family went through spells of poverty early on, and she often stayed away from home, disappearing for weeks or months at a time. At the time of the incident, the 27-year-old was living on the streets in Rosedale Lavine, Ontario, Canada.
Alloura usually kept in touch with family through Facebook. So, they began to get worried once she stopped updating her account towards the end of July 2017. However, it wasn’t until November 2017 that Alloura was reported missing. By then, she was dead; her body was found on August 5, 2017, near a Rosedale Valley road in Ontario by two hikers. The badly decomposed remains were found beside a tent, and there was drug paraphernalia and a purse beside her.
However, the remains were only identified towards the end of November 2017. The autopsy revealed extensive injuries around the time of the death and in the months before the death. Alloura suffered possible blunt force trauma in the time leading up to her death. The authorities believed no foul play was involved, and the medical examiner listed the cause of death as undetermined.
Was Alloura Wells Killed?
Alloura Wells had severe injuries, including two fractures to her spine that happened around the immediate time of her death. Then, another set of injuries occurred in the months leading up to the incident. Alloura had a cracked rib, sternum, and manubrium. They could have been caused by blunt force trauma. The medical examiner added that while the cause of death was undetermined, it was possible that Alloura was a victim of a homicide or an accident.
The last post on Alloura’s Facebook page was on July 26, 2017. In the years before that, she lived a difficult life. Alloura lost her mother to cancer in February 2013, and the young woman ended up on the streets after that, getting evicted from her apartment. She turned to sex work for survival and had done prison stints for shoplifting and communicating for the purposes of prostitution.
In August 2017, Alloura’s sister, Michelle Wheeler, got in touch with Monica Forrester, someone who knew Alloura well. Initially, they believed Alloura was in prison; Monica called the correctional facility and asked for Wheeler, thinking that was her last name. When the answer was yes, Monica assumed it was Alloura. But the 27-year-old didn’t go by that surname. It wasn’t until November that the family learned about Alloura never being incarcerated.
Then, Alloura’s father, Michael Wells, went to the authorities on November 4, 2017, but claimed he wasn’t taken seriously by the officer. Then, he had to go to a different police station and report her missing on November 6. The authorities eventually confirmed through DNA testing that the body found in August 2017 was Alloura’s. But when the body was found back then, the homicide unit was not called over, and the police didn’t issue a press release. Furthermore, the local community center that knew of the dead body didn’t publicize the information.
The authorities then learned of Augustinus Balesdent, a man who had been dating Alloura at the time and possibly the last person to have seen her alive. Loved ones stated that their relationship was abusive, and Alloura once complained that he hit her with a brick. Furthermore, both were heavy drug users. Augustinus had a prior criminal history and was accused of breaking into a housing unit and threatening a transgender woman. He had been charged with sexual assault but pled guilty to uttering a threat.
Augustinus told Alloura’s family that he had been in jail around the time she died, but records indicated that was false. The police considered him a person of interest, and despite being arrested in July 2019 and June 2020, he was not questioned by the police regarding Alloura’s case. An independent review of how the Toronto police force handled missing person cases revealed systemic discrimination. The report added that some officers were misinformed or had stereotypical ideas about the LGBTQ community.
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