CROWES MILLS, N.S. — New police evidence has upgraded the disappearance of a Crowes Mills man to a homicide investigation.
Peter Anthony (Tony) Walsh, 35, was last seen in Truro on Aug. 23. Up until now, his disappearance has been treated as a missing person file, however, the RCMP now say they believe Walsh was killed and a suspect is being investigated.
"We appreciate the tips and information that have come to us as a result of the media releases and the video appeal,” Sgt. Glenn Bonvie, of Northeast Nova Major Crimes Unit, said, in the news release Monday. “We believe there are people in the community who know what happened and we need them to come forward. Our focus continues to be on the family and on getting answers for them as we try to determine what happened to Tony."
Walsh was last seen publicly on Aug. 23 in Truro.
"That morning he came out to the grooming salon (in the garage by their house) to talk to me," his mother Susan Robben recently told SaltWire News. "We discussed our plans for the day. He was going to do errands and was working that night. He said he'd be back at supper time and would bring me back an iced coffee. He was acting his usual easygoing self, not nervous or scared."
Although Robben found it unusual when he didn't show up that evening, she initially thought he must have met up with friends. But when she still hadn’t heard from him by Saturday, Robben said she felt uneasy the entire day.
By Sunday, when Walsh still hadn’t shown up to assist a family member as planned, Robben began contacting his friends, searching for his car and posting a message of concern on Facebook.
In addition to being in Truro on the day he disappeared, the RCMP has determined he also drove to Debert and Millbrook.
On Aug. 28, her daughter, Sarah Walsh-Turner, saw a Facebook message about the car — a beige 1990 Chrysler Sebring — parked in a downtown Truro lot. At that point, Robben called police to file an official missing person report.
Since then, the RCMP has sent out several appeals for public assistance and last fall its underwater recovery team dispatched its divers on at least two occasions to search the ponds in the Rayner's Pit area of Debert.
"Some days I think, based on the time frame and that there have been no sightings, he can't still be alive, but I continue to hope," Robben said in a pre-Christmas interview.
She politely declined to comment on Monday’s latest announcement from the police.
The RCMP continues to ask members of the public to come forward if they have any information about this incident. Information can be provided directly to the investigators by calling the RCMP Northeast Nova Major Crimes Unit at 902-896-5060. Should you wish to remain anonymous, call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers toll free at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips App. File # 20191296351.
With files by Lynn Curwin.
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