The disappearances of two men last seen just east of downtown are not tied to their activities on dating apps or social media, and police have not been able to link the two cases in any way.
Selim Esen was last seen in mid-April 2017 and would often frequent the Church and Wellesley area and Kensington Market.
Andrew Kinsman was reported missing two days after he was last seen on June 26, 2017, near his home on Winchester Street in Cabbagetown.
Det. Sgt. Michael Richmond says police have interviewed more than 60 people who either knew or saw Esen and Kinsman before they disappeared as part of a special task force set up to investigate the disappearances, dubbed Project Prism.
After the interviews and approximately 28 searches of properties and items tied to both men, Richmond said that investigators don’t suspect foul play in either case, but they cannot rule it out.
“There has been a great deal of misinformation and speculation about the issue,” Richmond said.
He said the notion that someone targeted Esen or Kinsman through their activities on dating apps or social media is not borne out by the evidence he’s collected so far.
He also said that neither disappearance could be linked in any way to the disappearances of three other men in the area of the Village who went missing in 2012.
“There is no evidence at this point in time that the disappearances of Esen or Kinsman are linked to the disappearances of three males (in 2012),” Richmond said.
Finally, both Richmond and Chief Mark Saunders said they have come across no evidence that links any disappearance or death being investigated in the Church and Wellesley area to a serial killer.
