Police searching Millard farm

(Update)

For the third time — police officers have conducted an extensive search of a farm property belonging to accused murderer, Dellen Millard. Millard faces charges in connection with the murder of 32-year old Tim Bosma. But as Scot Urquhart tells us, Hamilton police investigators weren’t involved. Instead, this search was conducted by Toronto police, with an entirely different case in mind.

Toronto police have been here before. Conducting an extensive search, at the end of May.

But Monday morning, they left the heavy equipment behind, and returned with Forensic officers. For hours they walked in and out of a barn on the Millard farm, frequently moving behind the structure, as well.

Millard, and 23-year old Mark Smich, are charged with first degree murder in the kidnapping, and death of Ancaster resident Tim Bosma. Hamilton police had searched this same area and say they found Bosma’s remains here, burned beyond recognition.

At first, Toronto police wouldn’t even say ‘why’ they were there. But eventually, they confirmed that the search was connected to the disappearance of 23-year old Laura Babcock, in June 2012.

The former U of T graduate, was said to have a relationship with Millard. And in the weeks leading up to her disappearance, police say she had been drifting from friend to friend, with no apparent home.

They released a photo shortly after her disappearance, and claim that she was involved in the Toronto sex trade.

Far removed from this quiet rural property near Ayr where all seemed to be proceeding rather uneventfully until the late afternoon.

That’s when Waterloo Regional Drug Squad officers showed up.

They quickly donned forensic suits, and breathing apparatus, and headed for the barn where police had been working all day. A short time later, they removed several items from the barn, and secured them in an unmarked white Jeep which left the scene soon afterwards.

And minutes after that, the scene was cleared completely.

So far, Toronto Police have not said if they were looking for anything specific on the farm, whether they found it, or whether they have connected Laura Babcock to the Tim Bosma crime scene.

It’s clear however, that they did find something significant, which somehow had been overlooked, more than three months ago.