The Nova Scotia Police Review Board heard its first day of a week-long complaint appeal in regards to the Truro Police Force’s response to the disappearance of Dylan Ehler in May 2020.
The three-year-old boy went missing from his grandmother’s backyard when she turned her back to put a dog on the leash. Police later found his rubber boots in the nearby Lepper Brook, roughly seven hours after he was reported missing.
The appeal is taking place at the behest of Dylan’s parents, Jason Ehler and Ashley Brown, who first filed the complaint at the end of 2020 due to what they call inconsistency of timelines and response times of emergency services.
“It’s taken a lot to get here and actually be doing it. It feels big and scary and I’m just trying to get through the five days of it,” said Brown on Monday.
Dylan’s father, who was first to testify, said he wanted the board to know that he feels he has been mistreated every step of the investigation. He called the Truro Police “inconsiderate” and slow to respond.
“Nobody deserves what we’ve been through,” he said.
In response to Ehler’s complaints around response time and resources, the representative for the Truro Police Force presented evidence of multiple days of aerial searches, As well, there was evidence showing the tracking of 53 tips to Truro Police and the work of search and rescue teams and K-9 units.
Still, Ehler disagrees with when police K-9 resources first arrived on scene on May 6, 2020 — saying they arrived 35 minutes later than recorded.
“I’m hoping for accountability. And for the town and for the board members to realize the mistakes that were made. And hopefully big changes,” said Ehler.
Brown took to the stand after lunch, saying communication with police has been poor. She notes that she first heard about the discovery of Dylan’s rain boots through social media before formally told by police.
The complaint appeal is set to take place all week, with witness testimonies continuing before a review board decision is made.
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