$50K reward offered to find 18-year-old Joshua Bennett's killer

Three years after 18-year-old Joshua Bennett was found dead near a trail in Kitchener, Ont., police are offering a $50,000 reward in order to find his killer.

Bennett's mother, Felisha Bennett, attended a press conference on Tuesday morning with the Waterloo Regional Police Serviceat police headquarters where a security camera video of a possible suspect was shown.

She said her son's murder has taken a toll on her "mentally, physically and emotionally."

"Joshua was one of my six childrenand not having him here has left a huge void at our kitchen table and in our household," she told reporters on Tuesday.

WATCH|Felisha Bennettspeaks about her son's murder:

Mother urges community to help solve her son's murder

17 days ago

Duration 2:46

Felisha Bennett was part of a press conference on Tuesday morning at Waterloo regional police headquarters to provide an update on her son's unsolved murder. Joshua Bennett, 18, was found stabbed to death near a trail in Kitchener on Sept. 24, 2021. Police are hoping that releasing new footage will help them identify a person Bennett was seen with right before his death. People who come forward with information could receive a reward of up to $50,000. Reporting by Aastha Shetty/CBC.

Police were called to the area of Paulander Drive at 4:30 a.m. on Sept. 24, 2021 after reports of an injured male. Bennett's body was found and a post-mortem examination determined he died of multiple stab wounds.

Bennett, who was from Etobicoke, was attending Conestoga College at the time of his death.

The reward is being offered up to anyone who provides "credible information that leads to the arrest, and successful prosecution, of the person or persons responsible for the murder of Mr. Bennett," a release sent out by police on Tuesday said.

The video released by police on Tuesday shows Bennett walking with a person in dark clothing across a lawn the day before Bennett was found dead. It is the last known video footage taken of him before he died.

Felisha Bennett said police have been working "endlessly" to find out who killed her son but that they need the public's help "to spare another mother from the pain and grief that has come from losing a child."

"It's not too late to speak up because no community is safe when this person is still out there," she said.

Police Chief Mark Crowell also spoke at the press conference Tuesday.

"We believe there are people who know exactly what happened to Joshua and we are appealing for them to come forward," he said, adding "no matter how insignificant" the information may seem it could be "the piece to solving this tragic homicide."

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call police or Crime Stoppers.