Unveiling the Hideout: How a Background Car Photo Led to Pinpointing A Fugitive
Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug lord, tops the FBI's most-wanted list for orchestrating a violent transnational cocaine empire linked to multiple murders. Accused of shipping tons of drugs across North America, Wedding has evaded capture for over a decade, blending into shadows from Canada to Mexico.
In November 2024, the FBI released a new photo of Wedding: a bearded, heavier-set man in a blue L.A. Dodgers cap, gazing at his phone at what seemed like a restaurant table. The agency withheld the location, fueling speculation about his whereabouts.
Enter the CBC News visual investigations team, collaborating with two independent researchers from the Bellingcat Discord community—experts in open-source intelligence (OSINT). Using publicly available maps, satellite imagery, and digital sleuthing, they geolocated the image to a spot near a luxury hotel in Mexico City's upscale Santa Fe business district.
The breakthrough? A car captured in the photo's background. By cross-referencing its make, model, and positioning with Google Street View and local imagery, investigators matched it to a specific street view, confirming the exact site. This OSINT triumph marked the first public revelation of the photo's origin, highlighting how everyday details can unravel fugitives' secrecy.
As U.S. authorities intensify their hunt, focusing on central Mexico, such collaborations underscore the power of crowdsourced detective work in modern manhunts. Wedding remains at large, but the net tightens.