Two Whitby women who went missing earlier this month are now presumed dead and a family member has been charged with murder, Durham Regional Police say.
In a statement issued Oct. 15, officers said they were called to a home on Scepter Place, near Garrard Road and Dryden Boulevard, just before 3 p.m. on Oct. 14.
He said police received a call to “verify the well-being” of the two women, identified as Ava Burton, 58, and Tatilda Noble, 85, but when officers arrived they could not find the women.
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Police said at the time that officers found evidence at the scene indicating “suspicious circumstances” surrounding her disappearance, but what was found is unclear.
The family of the two women had asked the police to do a wellness check after not hearing from them. Police said earlier this week that the women were last heard about around October 11.
In a press release issued Saturday, October 23, police said the two women have not yet been found, but are believed to be dead.
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Joshua Burton, a thirty-year-old Whitby resident, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder in connection with the deaths of his mother and grandmother.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and they are looking for clues that could help them locate the remains of the victims.
Anyone with information should contact the police at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5411 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
– With files from Nick Westoll and Frazer Snowdon
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