Family of Toronto man, presumed murdered, visits landfill on first day of police search
The family of Nathaniel Brettell, an Etobicoke man who was presumed murdered in January, made the trip to London on Monday to see the first day of a massive police search of a landfill for his remains.
Lois and Ian Brettell drove for hours from their homes in the Niagara region to the Green Lane Landfill, bringing with them mementos and photos of other deceased family members to remind their brother he’s not alone.
“I’m full of anguish, full of pain,” Lois Brettell told CTV News London outside of the facility on Monday.
“I’m Nathaniel Brettell’s baby sister — I want to know everything I can.”
The 57-year-old Toronto man first went missing in January from his Etobicoke rooming house. Officers looking for him on February 2 were attacked by a man with a butcher’s knife.
Ahmed Al-Farkh, 34, was charged with attempted murder by the officers. Police say they found blood in Brettell’s apartment and concluded he had been murdered — but there was no sign of a body.
Toronto Police have said they have reason to believe his body is at the landfill and got a warrant to search the property as of last Monday, but the search didn’t begin until today.
From the outside, the only sign of activity was two Toronto Paramedics vehicles. Three staff members had been sent, the agency said, to provide medical care to officers on the ground. The search is expected to take months.
The facility takes roughly 800,000 tons of trash from the City of Toronto annually.
Lois is hoping that earlier investigative steps would make the week’s delay less likely to hurt the chances of finding evidence.
“There were police on this ground in late February. There were spikes put in the ground around a certain area in this landfill, where they presume my brother’s remains rest,” she said.
Ian said he and his sister are hoping they will finally know the truth of what happened to their brother.
“I miss him. It’s really hard,” he said. “Just to know what happened to him — to have closure on it,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
B.C. man fighting for refund after finding someone living at Whistler vacation rental
Edwin Mostered spent thousands of dollars booking a vacation home in Whistler, B.C., for a group skiing trip earlier this year – or so he thought.
Avs forward Valeri Nichushkin suspended at least six months
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months without pay and placed in Stage 3 of the league's player assistance program.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Mortgage companies could intensify the next recession, U.S. officials warn
U.S. officials worry the next recession could be intensified by a cascading series of failures in the mortgage industry caused by crashing home prices, frozen financial markets and soaring delinquencies.