RCMP say a Nova Scotia man who was detained by U.S. authorities while trying to board a plane to Mexico has been extradited back to Canada, and is facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of a missing woman in his home province.
During a news conference Friday, RCMP said their investigation into the disappearance of Esther Jones, 55, had identified enough information to charge Dale Allen Toole, 54.
Jones was reported missing from Torbrook, N.S. in Annapolis County, on Sept. 2, and was last seen in Greenwood on Aug. 31.
RCMP Cpl. Jeff MacFarlane said the accused, who is from Tremont, N.S., was not a suspect until police received key information from the Jones family and the community. Police indicated Jones and Toole have common relatives through marriage.
It’s believed the homicide took place on Aug. 31, and included “a struggle.”
MacFarlane said by the time Nova Scotia police had reasonable grounds to believe Toole was responsible for the offence, they tracked him to Texas.
“(He) was in the airport — in the Houston airport — at that time. We spoke to our partners down there in the U.S. through Border Protection, and they had identified him on their own for further screening, and that led to a deportation,” said MacFarlane.
“They had identified him on their own, under their own legislation, and decided to deport him back to Canada. We do know that at that time, while he was in the airport, his next destination was Mexico, and they were able to deport him before he got on to that plane.”
Insp. Murray Marcichiw, the officer in charge of Major Crime and Behavioural Sciences Group, said Toole arrived in Toronto on Thursday, where he was arrested for first-degree murder. He will be escorted back to Nova Scotia Saturday and is to appear in court Monday.
While no remains have been recovered, RCMP said the first-degree murder charge was based on evidence found.
“I don’t intend to speak for Ms. Jones’ family, but I know that finding Ms. Jones’ remains will help answer some of the outstanding questions that investigators and her family have, and aid in their healing journey,” said Marcichiw.
Vehicle found in Greenwood
Jones was reported missing by family members on Labour Day.
In previous updates, RCMP said officers found Jones’s vehicle, a silver 2009 Volkswagen Passat, abandoned in nearby Greenwood, N.S.
Police executed a number of search warrants at locations in and around Annapolis County — including the communities of Kingston, Greenwood and South Tremont.
On Sept. 10, RCMP said they were treating Jones’ disappearance as suspicious and that the major crime unit was now involved in the case.
— with a file from Global News’ Megan King and The Canadian Press