Residents of a neighbourhood in Barrie, Ont., are expected to be displaced for several more days as police continue to probe scores of explosive devices, chemicals and weapons found in a home at the centre of a 30-year-old cold case.
An RCMP explosives disposal unit joined the search over the weekend and local and provincial police continued to uncover explosives inside the Virgilwood Crescent home and around the yard.
As many as 50 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have already been uncovered, but police say that number will grow as the search continues. The search has also uncovered two bunkers on the property and several booby-traps outside the home.
In addition to the RCMP, the Ontario Provincial Police and the Centre of Forensic Sciences are also helping with the investigation.
Police continued their work detonating IEDs and disposing of dangerous chemicals on Sunday. Some devices were brought to the City of Barrie Operations Centre so they could be detonated away from residents.
Barrie Police Const. Angela Butler said that about 56 residents who were forced to leave the area Thursday evening will not be allowed back into their homes until at least Wednesday.
“We realize that it’s difficult for everybody here and we feel for the neighbours as well,” Butler told CTV Barrie on Sunday. “We would all want to get back into the comfort of our own home.”
Police visited the home after a break in the 30-year-old murder investigation of Barrie resident Michael Traynor. The 26-year-old was reported missing by his family on Sept. 18, 1978, and his body was found several weeks later with obvious signs of trauma.
On July 11, police said 54-year-old Donald Feldhoff turned himself in to police. He has been charged with first-degree murder. His father, 75-year-old William Feldhoff, has been charged with being an accessory to murder after the fact.
Investigators have said there is no evidence linking the explosives and the murder case. However, once the home has been cleared of all dangerous materials, officers will search the home for any evidence linked to Traynor’s murder.
