CANADA Canada - Robert Commu, 29, South Dumfries Township, ON, 31 March 1996

[TheArtfulDetective]

Robert William Commu



Case Classification: Missing
Missing Since: March 31, 1996
Location Last Seen: South Dumfries Township, Ontario, Canada.

Description:

• Date of Birth: August 21, 1966
• Age: 29 years old
• Race: White/Caucasian
• Gender: Male
• Height: 183 cm (6'0")
• Weight: 83 kg (180 lbs.)
• Hair Color: Brown, shoulder length
• Eye Color: Blue
• Nickname/Alias: Unknown
• Distinguishing Marks/Features: Tattoo of lion with wings on upper right arm.
• Clothing & Personal Items: White leather jacket with black sleeves and a red maple leaf on the back of the jacket.
• Identifiers: Unknown

Circumstances of Disappearance:
Commu was last seen at his home on 272 West River Road in South Dumfries Township, Ontario on March 31, 1996. A neighbor went to Commu's residence around 7:00 pm that evening, and discovered the front door open and the compact disc player repeatedly playing the same song. He was nowhere to be found and he left his wallet and truck behind.

The investigation revealed that at the time of his disappearance, Commu had been despondent over a failed relationship and an illness in the family. He has not contacted any family members or friends since he went missing and his whereabouts are unknown.

Investigators:

• Brant County OPP: OPP MPUB 1-877-934-6363; 1-705-330-4144; tips@missing-u.ca; opp.isb.resolve@opp.ca
  Reference Case#: RM06011175

• Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-TIPS(8477) or online at Canadian Crime Stoppers Association. Crime Stoppers provides anonymous tipping.

• Send email to the National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains at: canadasmissing-disparuscanada@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Robert Commu went missing 17 years ago | Brantford ExpositorCanada's Missing | Case details
1589DMON - Robert William Commu

 

[TheArtfulDetective]

Robert Commu went missing 17 years ago

Mar 31, 2013

Some say the Grand River always gives up its dead.

But Robert Commu has never surfaced.

Commu disappeared March 31, 1996. Some believe he either died by misadventure or by taking his own life. There are clues, there are suggestions and there have been countless conversations about the disappearance of Commu — but there hasn't been a body.

For his friends and family, there hasn't been closure.

***

Continue reading: Robert Commu went missing 17 years ago | Brantford Expositor

 

[TheArtfulDetective]

Anniversary of disappearance today.

 

[Aurora90]

I know it's a minor detail but does anyone know what song was on repeat?

 

[dotr]

By Shelby Knox Published: March 31, 2025

Police looking for new tips in Ont. cold case

Ontario Provincial Police hope someone will help solve the mystery of a man who went missing almost 30 years ago.

www.ctvnews.ca

'Investigators interviewed his family members, coworkers and associates, but were unable to find him. Police also received tips that Commu may have been spotted with two unidentified males in a pickup truck just days before his disappearance.'

'Commu was described as 6-feet-tall and weighing approximately 180 lbs. He had long brown hair, blue eyes, and a tattoo of a lion with wings on his upper right arm. He was last seen wearing a white leather jacket with black sleeves and a red maple leaf on the back'.

 

[dotr]

rbbm March 31 2025

Police continue to investigate March 1996 disappearance of Paris man

Police continue to investigate March 1996 disappearance of Paris man

www.brantfordexpositor.ca

''In a March 2013 Expositor story, Commu’s sister Hilda Warren said she immediately suspected foul play.

“He was a soft-hearted man, laid back, the kind of guy who would pick up a spider or bug and take it outside rather than squish it,” she said. “I’ve never believed he was the type of person who would take his own life.

“We’ve never had closure and it’s awful,” Warren shared.

Commu, a welder at a fabrication company in Cambridge, was six feet tall, weighed 180 pounds and had shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes. He had a tattoo of a lion with wings on his upper right arm and lived at a West River Road home in Paris.''

''Police were called after the door to his residence was found open and the dog that would accompany him on walks along the Grand River was found to have a cut on its head.''

 

[TheArtfulDetective]

I know it's a minor detail but does anyone know what song was on repeat?

I would love to know as well.

 

[dotr]

I would love to know as well.

So would I like to know the song. There is another case in Ontario, where a guy also left in similar circumstances- door left open and a song on repeat. Will try to remember which one.

 

[dotr]

April 9 2025

‘He’s not been forgotten’: Ontario family seeks answers in decades old cold case

The family of an Ontario man, who disappeared almost three decades ago, is renewing their appeal for answers.

www.ctvnews.ca

Hilda Netzke holds a picture of her brother, Robert William Commu, who went missing from Paris, Ont. in 1996. (Hannah Schmidt/CTV News)

“We did work with the family to get DNA and even that’s a fairly recent development in terms of our investigative abilities,” explained Bueckert. “We have dental records, so if remains were to be found somewhere, that would be our best chance at identifying it against Robert.”

Police are also renewing their appeal for tips and are working in partnership with the National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains.

“Even though it’s 30 years later, it’s not too late,” said Bueckert. “Having closure for the family would bring them a lot of peace.”