No serial killer in Village homicide: Saunders

Family and friends of Tess Richey walked by the abandoned building near Church and Wellesley Sts. where she was found slain while putting up posters in the days after she went missing on Nov. 25, 2017.Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders says the force will be reviewing how it conducts missing persons investigations.

Saunders says he has asked the Professional Standards Unit to look at any gaps and issues in how such probes are conducted.

Saunders’ announcement came as investigators updated the public on three separate investigations related to the city’s gay village that have raised concerns among community members in the bustling downtown neighbourhood.

Police say there’s no evidence a serial killer is involved in deaths and disappearances being investigated in the area.

Tess Richey, 22, vanished Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017, after a night out at a bar in the Village with a friend and was found dead at an abandoned building near Church and Wellesley Sts. four days later.

They also say they want to dismiss a notion that two missing men, whose disappearances are being investigated, were targeted through a dating app. Selim Esen and Andrew Kinsman went missing at separate times earlier this year from the Church and Wellesley area.

In a separate case, homicide officers are looking for a suspect in the death of Tess Richey, a 22-year-old woman whose body was found in an alley in the area last week. Police said a slim man with light hair, a dark jacket and light pants was seen with Richey the night she disappeared.

Saunders said he has requested details of the police investigation when Richey went missing, however wouldn’t address during the conference the woman’s mother and a friend finding the body. Police also dismissed speculation a perpetrator posing as an Uber driver was involved in the young girl’s death.

Richey was last seen on Nov. 25, around 3 a.m. An autopsy revealed the cause of death to be a neck compression.

Esen, 44, went missing near Yonge and Bloor Sts. on April 14 and Kinsman, 49, went missing from the Parliament and Winchester Sts. on June 26. Investigators have suggested both men were active on online dating apps before they went missing.

Andrew Kinsman, 49, has been missing since June 26, 2017.

Investigators added that they are also still investigating the death of Alloura Wells, whose body was found in a ravine with no signs of foul play.

Wells, a 27-year-old transgender woman who was reported missing on Nov. 6 when family said they hadn’t seen her since July. Her body was found on Rosedale Valley Rd. in August. Media reports said she was homeless and engaged in sex work.

Police say there’s no indication any of the investigations are related.

Alloura Wells, 27, was last seen in July 2017.