Breadcrumb Trail Links
NewsToronto & GTAOpinionColumnists
But Mezhgan Aini, who police believe is victim of homicide, was only reported missing because of family in Afghanistan
Get the latest from Joe Warmington straight to your inbox Sign Up
Published Mar 03, 2026 • 3 minute read
You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.
Mohammad Yama Aini, the husband of Mezhgan Aini, 38, who was last seen in June 2022, talks to the Toronto Sun at the entrance to his Mississauga, Ont., apartment on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Photo by Toronto SunArticle content
Her picture may be plastered all over the lobby and hallways of her apartment building in Mississauga, but there have been no signs of Mezhgan Aini for four years.
Advertisement 2
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.
THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authors
Article content
It’s like she disappeared into thin air.
Article content
Article content
But the life Mezhgan left behind is still very much there in that apartment building near Queen Frederica Dr. and Dundas St. W. Her husband and their three children, between the ages of eight and 17, are still living in the same unit.
In fact, standing in the door of the Mississauga apartment where she was last seen, the soft-spoken husband of the missing mother of three said he has no idea where his wife may be.
“They don’t know,” Mohammad Yama Aini told the Toronto Sun on Tuesday.
The apartment building on Queen Frederica Dr. in Mississauga, Ont., where Mezhgan Aini lived. Photo by Joe Warmington /Toronto SunFamily was told ‘she was fine’
No one seems to. Not that there was an extensive search for Mezhgan. It’s a pretty cold trail. The 38-year-old seamstress disappeared sometime between June and September in 2022 and there has been no trace of her since then.
Your Midday Sun
Thanks for signing up!
Article content
Advertisement 3
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Police said Mohammad, who is a store clerk, has never reported her missing. Peel Regional Police said they did not know of her vanishing until three years later in 2025, when a missing person complaint was filed by Mezhgan’s family in her home country of Afghanistan.
Mezhgan Aini, 38, who also went by the names “Sara” or “Sarah,” of Mississauga, Ont., was last seen in June 2022. PRP
Over the phone from Kabul, her youngest brother Mansoor Ahmadi told the Toronto Sun that the family was unaware of Mezhgan’s disappearance whenever they spoke with family and contacts in North America.
“We were told she was fine,” he said. “We were told she was alive, but she (seemingly) wasn’t.”
Or at least the police don’t think she is alive. They believe she was the victim of homicide. And not only are they looking for her remains, but they are looking for her killer.
RECOMMENDED VIDEO
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Play VideoHusband says loss is ‘devastating’
Soft-spoken but polite, her husband said it has been a tough time for himself and their children.
“Quite obvious, it’s devastating,” Mohammad said.
Advertisement 4
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Meanwhile in Afghanistan, her family is also suffering over this. But Ahmadi said the kids were allegedly told their mother was “gone.”
Saying that he had to take his daughter to a clinic for dental issues, Mohammad declined to discuss details of the case with the Toronto Sun, but also said he may be more prepared to discuss it at another time.
Police, meanwhile, have not revealed details about their discussions with Mohammad other than to say he has been “co-operative.”
A very strange case. While police said they have a “theory” and an investigative road map, they also said they have an open mind. There is no tunnel vision here. No one has been accused of anything at this point and no charges have been laid.
Concerning incident in New York City
However, they also know of the couple’s history including a reported 2017 incident that made headlines in New York City, where Mohammad was a diplomat stationed in the U.S. with the Afghan government and working out of the United Nations.
Advertisement 5
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
According to New York Post reports, Mezhgan’s husband drove her to the hospital with a bloodied eye and wounds to her face that police suspected were caused by her husband. As a result of “diplomatic immunity,” Peel police said there were no charges filed against Mohammad.
The Toronto Star, citing court records confirmed by police, also reported that Mezhgan denied her husband had harmed her and Mohammad claimed she tripped on a broom.
A Peel Regional Police poster attached to the wall in an apartment building where Mezhgan Aini lived in Mississauga, Ont. Photo by Joe Warmington /Toronto Sun
While he knew about the allegations from New York, Ahmadi said Mezhgan “did not talk about it” and “wanted a peaceful life.”
He called his oldest sister a “very kind, good lady” who “loved her children.” At this time, her children are living with their father in the building that Mezhgan was last seen in.
This one is a real mystery. Stay tuned. More to come.
Article content
Share this article in your social network