Found Deceased Canada - George Scott Cushnie, 80, AKA "Professor Piano" (legally blind), Toronto, 7 August 2018

[LaylaD]

I believe Andrea went to pick Scott up to take him to a Dr.'s appointment and that's when it was discovered Scott was missing. Terry can correct me if I'm wrong.

I read in an earlier post that his meals on wheels hadn’t been canceled. Hadn’t someone noticed he wasn’t receiving them? Aren’t the delivery folks trained to notice if something is amiss?

 

[Jasper52]

Aren’t the delivery folks trained to notice if something is amiss?

Excellent question. If they're not trained, they should be.

 

[terry murphy]

Terry,

Does anyone know if Scott has a medical appointment just before he vanished, or had been talking about ill health? He had been at the pharmacy earlier in the day. A prescription that he didn’t react well to? He had an illness and quietly went on his way?

The bridge is still a big question in my mind. Unfortunately there are all too many missing case stories of men and water. I encourage a continued focus there, as a suggestion. Hope I’m wrong.

As long as Scott hasn’t been found, you are right to assume he is alive and to keep searching. One thing is for sure, is there are predictive statistical outcomes with missing people, and then there is a sort of inexplicable quantum factor. Given your portrayal of Scott, I’m going to hold out hope.

No regarding medical appointment....the drug store he visited is not where he gets his prescriptions...they do have good deals on foods and vitamins....that sort of thing so reaction to a drug he took is pretty unlikely. His trip to the drug store was much earlier in the day 3:30ish pm his attempt to enter the common room was 11:55 pm. He gets his prescriptions at the drug store beside his building. Scottie isn't someone that I would describe as frail and I understand the focus on the bridge and due to current patterns, and such the Marine Unit would know where to take that part of the investigation. I still can't get Scott from the common room through the door to the street. Until something transpires that resolves this part, I have to believe some other explanation, however insane, is still on the table....

 

[rosesfromangels]

So Terry, if I understand, you are saying he is seen trying to get in to the common room, or did, but never seen going out again? If I understand correctly, i’d like to pull on that thread further.

Tell me everything notable that you know about that building, and tell me about storage, basement, and attic. And get a dog on there if I am understanding your point.

 

[terry murphy]

I read in an earlier post that his meals on wheels hadn’t been canceled. Hadn’t someone noticed he wasn’t receiving them? Aren’t the delivery folks trained to notice if something is amiss?

Cant answer the dr appointment question you would have to ask Andrea that one......Meals on Wheels is not a perfect system and the potential for things to not be well documented is always a possible scenario. Scott lived in an apartment at my place 4 years ago and we always had issues with meals on wheels....unfortunate piece of the story but not relevant at this point except for the notion that had Scott planned a trip he would have cancelled the service while he was gone or notify a family member to do so.

 

[dotr]

Radio.
Old bandmate speaks about missing Toronto musician George Scott Cushnie - Tasha Kheiriddin - Omny.fm
"Mitch Lewis joined Tasha Kheiriddin to speak about George Scott Cushnie, his old bandmate who has been missing since early August."

 

[terry murphy]

So Terry, if I understand, you are saying he is seen trying to get in to the common room, or did, but never seen going out again? If I understand correctly, i’d like to pull on that thread further.

Tell me everything notable that you know about that building, and tell me about storage, basement, and attic. And get a dog on there if I am understanding your point.

The FOB is an electronic device... data is recorded when it is used......data was recorded on security system identifying Scott's FOB's attempt to unlock that door....nobody saw this occur that we know of....as for floor plan of the building.... I can't answer that one as I hadn't been there regretfully, I hadn't been there since Scott moved from my place 4 yrs ago as we sold our house and had moved further away from the city....I spoke with the Super and a couple of his employees outside at the rear of the building....The police have been in the building several times now although never when I was around....with the limited amount of data available, I would have a difficult time being able to say empirically that his leaving the building at the time the fob was used was the next event to occur. Of course now, I'm gonna want to find a floor plan of the building...

 

[rosesfromangels]

I would ask law enforcement if they would bring a dog in to do a search, high and low. This is an important hunch to rule out.

 

[perfectingpink]

I read in an earlier post that his meals on wheels hadn’t been canceled. Hadn’t someone noticed he wasn’t receiving them? Aren’t the delivery folks trained to notice if something is amiss?

Those who deliver Meals on Wheels are coached to keep an eye open for anything out of the ordinary because they are often the only regular contact some people have. When I was in Nursing School, we had to follow a MOW volunteer around for a day and the woman I was with and I walked in a home where the woman had passed away the night before. If it were not for MOW, who knows when this poor woman would have been found.

 

[rosesfromangels]

And, anyone who worked there left their job shortly after he went missing? Has anyone been polygraphed?

 

[LaylaD]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around how someone - in an apartment building that caters to the elderly and who is receiving daily services (meals on wheels) - can go missing for three weeks without someone in the building calling for a welfare check on them. I would think mail and perhaps newspapers would be piling up, in addition to the meals not being accepted for delivery. All potential indicators of a health concern for someone in their 80s. I'd also think that there would be plenty of (nosy) neighbors who would notice the lack of piano playing or the telling of stories or simply seeing him around. Unless he had a habit of traveling frequently without stopping mail delivery, so this would be more the norm?

This is from the Toronto Meals on Wheels site:
Meals-on-Wheels

What other benefits does the MOW services provide?

This service also provides a natural security check on our clients. Should no one answer the door or a delivery cannot be made, we will follow up with the listed emergency contact to determine if everything is alright.

 

[LaylaD]

The FOB is an electronic device... data is recorded when it is used......data was recorded on security system identifying Scott's FOB's attempt to unlock that door....nobody saw this occur that we know of....as for floor plan of the building.... I can't answer that one as I hadn't been there regretfully, I hadn't been there since Scott moved from my place 4 yrs ago as we sold our house and had moved further away from the city....I spoke with the Super and a couple of his employees outside at the rear of the building....The police have been in the building several times now although never when I was around....with the limited amount of data available, I would have a difficult time being able to say empirically that his leaving the building at the time the fob was used was the next event to occur. Of course now, I'm gonna want to find a floor plan of the building...

Does the FOB show when it is used to enter an apartment? Is it possible to leave an apartment without locking the door, so that the FOB wouldn't need to be used to reenter his apartment? Does Scott have friends in the building where he may have gone to have a nightcap or a chat or a music jam that evening after the common room was unable to be used? Any romantic interests with any of the other residents of the building?

 

[Tripod]

The nearest traffic cams are Parliament and Richmond, Jarvis and King St East and Jarvis and Lower Esplanade......so yes, re: traffic cams
fob is awol.....piano didn't get played much by Scott or other players in the building. Scott has his own to play in his apartment. He would certainly misplace his wallet from time to time. Been a while since I'd seen him but he usually had it in his man bag...as I understand it both were still in apt....I appreciate the speculation even if it is troubling to ponder.....I need a a diversion to help recalibrate.....

Thanks for the reply. Now I'm puzzled as to why he tried to enter the common room, especially if he knew what time it was. I suppose it could be possible it was someone else using HIS FOB? Would that be possible, or did each resident have something like a code to use along with the FOB? I understand it's electronic, but still can't envision it. I'm still guessing it is like a debit card.

It sounds as if he wasn't one to carry cash around in his pocket, either. I'm stuck where you are-- moving him from the community room to the outside entrance, to wherever , if those were the next steps he took.

 

[Tripod]

Does the FOB show when it is used to enter an apartment? Is it possible to leave an apartment without locking the door, so that the FOB wouldn't need to be used to reenter his apartment? Does Scott have friends in the building where he may have gone to have a nightcap or a chat or a music jam that evening after the common room was unable to be used? Any romantic interests with any of the other residents of the building?

I do hope LE does a door to door, right away if they haven't already! I can't see that it would hurt if they could have an air scent dog with them going door to door, even if they aren't allowed inside some of the other apartments.

 

[Tripod]

One additional question I asked previously but didn't see an answer to.

Does anyone ( except for LE) know if Scott's debit card is missing? In one of the most recent posted articles, a gal interviewed said that his debit card hadn't been used in two weeks, but perhaps she misspoke or the article wasn't quite right?

 

[Jasper52]

Does anyone ( except for LE) know if Scott's debit card is missing? In one of the most recent posted articles, a gal interviewed said that his debit card hadn't been used in two weeks, but perhaps she misspoke or the article wasn't quite right?

IIRC, Scott's debit card was in his wallet, inside his locked apartment.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Going through the process of elimination, and trying to stay away from improbable

*Debit card in his wallet in his room
*Someone, (Scott?) used his FOB at 11:55 trying to get in common room unsuccessfully. It is assumed this was Scott since there was a piano in there? Scott had lived there for quite a while. Didn't he know the common room was locked at 10? Seems odd.
*Big storm that night, bridge near home that leads to restaurants that Scott would go to. Terry doesn’t think there was anywhere on that bridge Scott could have gotten blown over the side
*No farewell letters found, no reports of melancholy behavior leading up to disappearance. Scott is characterized as being robust and active, despite his limited vision. Scott is characterized as taking late night walks to 24 hour eateries to visit with friends and socialize.
*Debit card found in wallet in room; no activity since his disappearance.
*Police have visited his residence several times but we don’t know if dogs or luminal were used. Unclear if a basement/attic and storage facilities were checked.
*Unclear if any employees left/moved after Scott’s disappearance, or if any have been acting differently.
*No enemies, or no apparent motive for financial gain has been established
*No expensive jewelry or possessions, so checking pawn shops is not necessary.

I hope I have the above accurate. In dwelling on this missing persons case, I have to end up speculating that Scott did end up a victim of the massive rain storm on Aug 7th, and most likely did end up in the river. The aftermath of last night's massive rain storm - CityNews Toronto

I am sorry to have to come to that speculative conclusion, as it doesn't portray a very hopeful picture. Given the time that has lapsed, the fact there was no evidence leading up to a distraught individual, and the fact there has been no financial activity, I sadly come to this speculation. In addition, if he did end up drowning, it could be weeks before his earthly remains were discovered, depending on the temperature of the water.
This is my current thinking, and I pray that I am wrong.
Thinking of all of Scott's friends. He sounds like one cool cat.

 

[moonriverfarm]

So when Meals on Wheels tried to deliver, and he did not answer, did they not report that?

 

[rosesfromangels]

This thread is very quiet.
Let’s hope ongoing search efforts continue, and this fascinating missing person is located alive and well.

 

[dotr]

This thread is very quiet.
Let’s hope ongoing search efforts continue, and this fascinating missing person is located alive and well.

Have been thinking about Scott and where he could be and really coming up blank.
Everything you suggested up thread pretty much sums up the sad reality that the rainstorm might have somehow contributed to, or caused Scott's disappearance.
Other than that, all that comes to mind is Scott's love for music and how he may have wanted to play the piano ( and possibly socialize) in the common's room, which was closed at that time.
Did Scott wander out in search of music and company on that dark and stormy night?
Hoping that anyone with cctv checks for the possibility that Scott may have been captured by cameras, it is so important to get a gist of the direction he may have been heading.
imo, speculation.