Toronto's Police Chief and his investigators were called out on the carpet today over the handling of several missing persons cases in Toronto's Village.
Two men went missing from Church and Wellesley earlier this year. Andrew Kinsman, 49, was last seen on June 26 in the Parliament and Winchester streets area. Selim Esen, 43, was last seen in the Yonge and Bloor area in April.
The body of Alloura Wells, a transgender woman, was found in a ravine in August but not identified until late-November.
Most recently, 23-year-old Tess Richey was found murdered last month only days after she was reported missing by her family. Her mother found her body in an outside stairwell feet from where she was last seen.
The community is furious, saying police aren't doing enough.
Police Chief Mark Saunders, himself, won't disagree. He's asked the professional standards unit to investigate the handling of the cases. "I, too, want to find out what the gaps were, what the issues were, what the fact vs. perception is so that we can figure out collectively what we need to do to get better."
He admits there are things police could have done better. "I think call intake, when someone is calling in to report a missing person an element of sensitivity is something that I think is necessary. As busy as we may be, just taking that extra step in realizing what the circumstance is can go a long way. I don't want to make any assumptions on other factors because, like I said, I want to know the facts and not the speculative pieces. So, I want to give everybody an opportunity to give their version of events so that somewhere in the middle we can find out what we need to do collectively."
Investigators say there is no evidence to suggest a serial killer is lurking around the village or that there's a link to dating apps.
Chief Saunders was asked if people should be afraid in the area of Church and Wellesley. "The short answer to that is, I don't think so."
Four additional officers have been assigned to patrol the village during peak hours.
There's very little new information when it comes to finding Tess Richey's killer. Police have a vague description of the suspect: Male, light skin, 5''7-6", dark hair, wearing a dark jacket and pants that are a lighter shade than the jacket.
When it comes to the investigation surrounding the death of Alloura Wells, police are want to speak with a man believed to be the last person to see Wells alive, sometime in early July. He is identified as Augustinus Balesdent, in his late 20s or early 30s.