Here's a transcript of the presser from the 10th because I hate watching videos
GS: Good morning everybody I'm Greg Slack, the media relations officer for the HPS. The purpose of today's briefing is to bring forward current developments, and updates in the missing persons case of Timothy Bosma. There will be words from the investigative command staff, starting with Superintendent Dan Kinsella of the Investigative Services division, as well followed by lead detective, Detective Sergeant Matt Kavanaugh. Following their statements there will be a brief question and answer period, monitored by myself so, to begin today, I call upon Superintendent Dan Kinsella.
DK: Good morning, and thank you to the media for your coverage, and thank you to the public, for your assistance, in the missing person investigation of Tim Bosma. As you are aware, Homicide investigator Detective Sergeant Matt Kavanaugh leads our investigative team. The HPS was notified of Tim Bosma's disappearance by his wife Sharlene on May 6. Division 3 detectives immediately began an investigation. Due to the unusual nature of the disappearance, the Homicide unit took over the investigation. Over 150 officers from this service, have been committed to ground search, air search, and investigation. In this investigation we have utilized ground search and rescue, divisional patrol, mounted and canine units, action officers, and we have assigned detectives from across the service to the Homicide investigative team. We have also been assisted by the OPP. We will continue to commit any and all resources required by the investigative team. detective Sergeant Matt Kavanaugh will now provide you with an update.
So right off the bat, they are letting everyone know, they have sent out the cavalry.
MK: This investigation has had some developments. Our police service is requesting the assistance of the public in this matter.
First, late yesterday afternoon, Mr. Bosma's cell phone was recovered in an industrial area of west Brantford.
Last night police conducted a ground search of this area. It was a very large area, however nothing further of Mr. Bosma's was found.
Second, police received information that Mr. Bosma's vehicle was seen at approximately 10:10 pm in the downtown area of the city of Brantford, on Monday May 6. Police do not know the route that Mr. Bosma's truck went through city of Brantford. As video evidence is an important investigative tool in any investigation, police are requesting the following from the businesses of the city of Brantford. Police are asking that individuals and businesses in the city of Brantford who have video surveillance, check that surveillance footage for Monday May 6 between the hours of 9:30 pm and 10:30 pm for any type of activity. This is an important piece of the investigation. This would have been a time when most of those businesses were closed.
Why oh why drive into the city where they might be spotted or videoed rather than sticking to the back roads? How much Diesel gas was in the truck? They might have had a problem in that it was a 45 minute drive to the farm, but the truck needed gas, and Diesel at that (not sold everywhere.) A gas station is certainly the kind of business that might be open at 10:10 and might provide an eyewitness opportunity. Secondly, TB left home at 9:20 and they made it to downtown Brantford by 10:10, which is 50 minutes, 30 minutes more than you need to make it to Brantford. Did they have to hide a body before stopping to fuel up the truck? What else could have hung them up?
Yesterday, investigators working on this case received the results of a production order for the cellular telephone of the man that contacted Mr. Bosma. From the cellular records and interviews police have found that these two same individuals that attended Mr. Bosma's house test drove a similar type of vehicle in the city of Toronto on May 5, in the middle of the day. The owner of this vehicle was not harmed.
The owner was able to provide a description of the two males. This description of the two males matched the description provided by Mrs. Bosma. As well, the vehicle owner from Toronto was able to add a description of the first male. And I'll describe this first male:
Male white, 6'1" to 6'2", 170 to 180 pounds, in his mid 20's, light to medium short brown hair, unshaven, wearing blue jeans, long sleeved orange shirt and running shoes. The gentleman in Toronto described it as a short sleeved shirt when he saw him. The gentleman from Toronto described, and added to this description, on one of his wrists, he wasn't if it was a left or right, where a person wears a watch, was the word "ambition". There was a box tattooed, framing the outside of the word "ambition" and it would have been in the same direction as one wears a watch.
In their exclusive interview, the TS describes DM "pulling up his orange sleeves, revealing large tattoos across both arms that read 'I am heaven sent' and 'Dont you dare forget.'" In other words, DM has prominent obnoxious tats that can't be missed, but for the purpose of this presser, they were. Big Etobicoke guy found DM and MS to be quite suspicious and no doubt gave them a good look over, and DM was wearing short sleeves.
Police have researched this tattoo. This tattoo itself is not uncommon. Many people have the word "ambition" tattooed on their body. However, the location and the frame around it is unique. This male has not been identified as yet. There is no further description of the second male.
HPS asked DM about his 'ambition' tattoo that morning at the hangar, and he had a contact card on file with TPS that described his tats too.
Due to the overwhelming response from the public, thanks to the media, police have had to set up a tip line to answer all the tips. Police are asking now that anyone with information regarding Mr. Bosma's location or the identity of either one of these males, to contract the tip line at 905 546-2100 or to call Crimestoppers.
Q: Detective Sergeant, do think that TB is still alive?
MK: We always have to hold out hope. That's all I can say.
Q: Have you been able to get the IP addresses of people who accessed those online ads that he had posted...and narrow it down to Monday perhaps?
MK: I'm not sure you were here for the earlier briefings. Mr. Bosma posted his cellular telephone on the advertisement. Therefore no one has to go into the computer into that ad to answer the ad. They can take the phone number off and simply call it.
And that does not answer the question. No, the perps did not have to log in to view the ad. However, absolutely, there would be web analytics running on that website that could be used to trace the IP's that hit that page on the date specified.
Q: Oh, from like the homepage?
MK: That's correct.
Reporter does not know what she is talking about and MK takes advantage of that.
Q: Was the truck in Toronto, was it stolen in the end, or did the person you phoned still have it?
MK: The person still has that truck. And again, it was a Dodge Ram 3500 Diesel.
Q: Is there any indication that Mr. Bosma's past, might have something to do, any kind indication about somebody that he might have known, or anything like that?
MK: At this point in the investigation there is nothing in Mr. Bosma's past, or Mrs. Bosma's past, would indicate anything relevant to this investigation.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit more about the Toronto test drive. Was it the same scenario where they met this person at his or her home, took the car for a test drive, then brought it back, or what happened?
MK: It was almost an identical scenario, in the fact that two individuals, walked up to this male's business, not having a vehicle, the test drive was the same, one, the taller individual in the driver's seat, the potential victim in the passenger's seat, and one male behind him.
Q: And they returned him to his business?
MK: Yes.
Q: Did he find them suspicious in any way? Did anything trigger with him that that day that was unusual?
MK: Yes he did. Yes, I'm going to say yes he found them suspicious.
So he probably took the time to have a really good look at those tats.
Q: Did he contact you or did somebody else find him and get a hold...how did you find this? Did you track him down yourself? The man in Toronto, sorry.
MK: I've already talked about this in the media release from the work of the investigators, yesterday we received a production orders, so that's the same as a warrant, and we...on that cellular phone number that contacted Mr. Bosma, and that's how that individual was found.
Q: Now was there a third person involved in Toronto? How did the two men arrive at the Toronto location? Did they drive themselves there, or did somebody drop them off, and what can you say about what happened at the Bosma residence.
MK: As I say in the Toronto scenario, the complainant or the witness in this case, saw two individuals walk up to his business. He asked how they arrived, and they said they walked there. And the Bosma case, there was no other vehicle saw [sic] at the Bosma house, and we can only presume that there was a vehicle in the area.
Q: The cellphone number didn't give you any, or the records, didn't give you any other information about one of the suspects.
MK: I'm not sure what you mean sir.
MK has lots of info he's not prepared to share. Playing dumb again.
Q: Sorry, the production order, how you tracked the number that called, there was no other information available about who the suspect is and where he might have come from?
MK: No, this phone was only on for 3 months, activated for 3 months. The cellular location, we also have cell tower locations, on that phone. Many of the calls originated from the Etobicoke area of Toronto. However, different parts of Etobicoke. So I don't know if that indicated that the individual is transient, but different tower location in the city of Etobicoke. But since Mr. Bosma, this phone has been turned off and has not been used.
Transient, or visiting Etobicoke friends like CN nd using the phone?
Q: Who holds the contract on the phone?
Q: You're still waiting for video from Brantford. Will there be a search moved to the Brantford area at this point?
MK: Brantford Police is assisting. They know the city better than our service, they're helping us quite a bit, and they're organizing a search now of different areas of different industrial sites.
Q: Who owns the contract for the phone?
MK: I'm not sure what you mean by that.
See what I mean that there are certain things MK does not want to get into. I think that was a pretty straightforward question.
Q: 'Cause, you have to sign a contract...or, is it a stolen phone, there's gotta be someone that's connected...
MK: And again, I am sure you missed the first two media briefings, this phone, a bogus name was used in this phone, and that's not unusual in any type of activity.
Q: Are you guys looking at the same truck that's been for sale all the time? Are you looking at other people who are selling Dodge Rams, and why that particular car, I mean if it's malicious then why aren't they looking for other cars, like approaching people who are selling [mumble] or something else?
MK: Well first of all the information we get as a police service, a lot of it came from this production order. And the phone numbers gained from that production order, showed us who this individual has contacted, and those are the people we have been contacting. And secondly, are they targeting a type of vehicle?
Q: Yeah, are you guys looking at anybody else that's selling that vehicle, are you calling them and asking them if anyone else has come and approached them?
MK: It's part of the investigation sir, yes.
Q: Can you tell us were there any phone calls made on TB's cell that you found after he disappeared, and whereabouts can you narrow down what area in Toronto that this other man was with the suspects?
MK: OK, you've asked a couple questions here. First Mr. Bosma's cell phone. As already indicated, Mr. Bosma's cell phone was turned off shortly after 10:00, and never activated again. As far as the individual in Toronto, the complainant, he was near the Etobicoke area.
Q: The contact from the Toronto individual, did he have any cellphone contact with these men, and were you pursuing that, and what was it that he found suspicious about this pair?
MK: The gentleman from Toronto advertised his vehicle in the same way Mr. Bosma did, by internet. It was the same type of vehicle, it was a newer vehicle. What he found suspicious is what I've already talked about, and the fact that two individuals walk up to an industrial area, which is a ways from a residential areas, they walk up without a vehicle, and their interest in the vehicle, he thought was odd because of the size of the vehicle, it's more of a business vehicle than a personal vehicle.
Big Etobicoke guy had already picked them out as thieves.
Q: So do you have a computer track now, on these guys answer his ad by computer, did they have any contact with them before they walked up?
MK: Well the production order showed that they answered by cellphone.
Q: And you are pursuing that I take it, that cellphone?
MK: That's what the production order is. We've already done that.
Q: They'd called him and said, we're coming to come by and look at the truck. Then it was just suspicious that they'd walked up.
MK: They'd walked up, and yes.
Q: And did he do anything to act on his suspicions, once he was suspicious, did he cut the test drive short, did he tell them bring me back to my business, did he pick up his phone and call somebody, or, you know, so that they would, maybe, rethink what they were planning on doing?
MK: No he didn't. I think fortunately for this person, he's a very large individual, I think he would have overpowered the both of them, and I think that was his advantage.
Would not fit in incinerator.
Q: So again, it was Mr. Bosma's cellphone that was found in this industrial area?
MK: That is correct.
Q: And can you give us the description of the two individuals again, and or at least the one individual with the tattoo?
MK: It's the the media release that you've...
Q: Sorry, the top of the press conference was cut off for our viewers. It's CP24.
MK: OK. The male described as, the first male is described as 6'1" to 6'2", 170 to 180 pounds, in his mid 20's, light to medium short brown hair, unshaven, wearing blue jeans, a long sleeved orange shirt, and running shoes. From the second person that we just interviewed, he observed this male with a short sleeved shirt on. He observed several tattoos on his arms, that he cannot remember, except for one: on one of his wrists, either the left or the right, where a person wears a wristwatch, was the word "ambition". There was a box tattooed framing the outside of the word "ambition". Police investigators have researched this tattoo, and the tattoo itself is not uncommon, but the location of the tattoo is very unique. This male has not been identified yet.
Interesting how the Etobicoke guy caught the little tat on DM's left wrist but not the big 'I am heaven sent'/'Don't you dare forget'...or did he? Interesting the MK made a point of saying the BEG did not remember any of the other tattoos.
Q: Based on your conversation with that individual who you tracked down through that cellphone, are you able to narrow down perhaps why Mr. Bosma was taken by these individuals, was there a motive perhaps?
MK: We don't have that yet, no.
GS: Time for a couple more questions everybody so if [mumble]
Q: Further to that I was going to say it seems like a strange way to steal a vehicle they're not...way to steal a vehicle is, I think there's more to this that just a vehicle that...
MK: Well I think that's why this is creating so much media attention because of the uniqueness of this case. And yes, it is very unusual. and that's all we have right now.
Q: Detective Sergeant, what would you say, I mean usually in these cases there's at least one person out there that knows what happened who would know who these people are, perhaps these guys were planning on stealing a car, something went wrong, and, you know, maybe one of them has a conscience, what would you say to them right now to appeal to somebody's conscience, to put Sharlene and her family's fears and grief at ease?
MK: Well this is a case that has upset several communities in Ontario and probably across Canada. And these individuals, they will be identified, by the public, they will be identified. And I suggest that people that have knowledge, to come forward, either to call Crimestoppers, or call the tip line, and identify these individuals.
Q: What is the minimum you're looking for, for video? If somebody looks at their video, and they're not quite sure what they're looking for. Can you describe what they should be looking for in reviewing their video?
MK: They should be looking for any type of activity with individuals or a vehicle during those time periods I already said, Monday May 6, between 9:30 at night and 10:30 at night.
Q: Sorry, what did Tim do for a living? What does he do for a living?
MK: Tim is self employed.
Q: In what kind of industry?
MK: It's construction industry.
Q: You said that there was an eyewitness who saw the truck driving through Brantford on Monday...?
MK: No I didn't, I said information...that the truck was...
Yes MK, what exactly did you say?
Q: What, ok what sir, an eyewitness that actually saw the truck driving through?
MK: The information we have, we're working on that right now, to provide, to get a statement from that person.
So someone did see them. Gas stop? Any Diesel fuel sellers on the route to Brantford, the farm, and the hangar?
Q: And did they note how many people were in the truck?
MK: No they didn't.
Q: Did the suspects arrive at the Toronto location during the daytime, business hours?
MK: The middle of the day I've already said in the report. OK, I think that's it.
Q: Can you give us any more information on what made that Toronto man suspicious of these two men, anything they did in particular that...?
MK: I'm not going to go into that right now. OK, thank you. Thank you.
