Laith Anki

Laith Anki (born July 6, 1991) was a 26‑year‑old entrepreneur and one half of the team behind Laith’s Candy Land, a small wholesale importer of Middle Eastern sweets and nuts that opened in Sterling Heights in 2017. By all accounts in local reporting, Laith worked closely with close family — including his cousin Sufian “Sam” Saba — to grow the business and serve customers in the community.

Friends and neighbors described the shop as a labor of family ties and ambition: a new business that stocked specialty candies, spices and imports that reflected the owners’ background and interests. Laith’s effort to establish the wholesaler in a competitive marketplace spoke to his commitment to work, family, and a practical plan to support those closest to him.

The public record about Laith emphasizes his role at the store and his connection to family; those details are what are preserved in news coverage and the state cold‑case file. He was identified in law‑enforcement releases and local reporting as the younger relative and business partner of Sufian Saba, and as a person who helped operate the small, community‑facing business on Mound Road.

While the available public information focuses on the circumstances surrounding his death, it also shows a young man engaged in building a livelihood and rooted in family collaboration. Remembering Laith means recognizing him first as a person who worked to create something with relatives and invest in a small business that served his community. His life mattered to family, friends and customers who knew him at the shop; those human connections are what endure beyond the brief public record.

If you have memories you would like to share with family or information that may assist investigators, the Sterling Heights Police Department and Crime Stoppers have been listed as contact points in contemporary reporting.