Durham Regional Police say they are scaling back their search for a Whitby man who disappeared a week ago.
Investigators have been appealing for tips from the public and following up on leads, but they say they have no idea what happened to 52-year-old high school teacher Jeffrey Boucher.
“Mr. Boucher has simply vanished,” said Det. Mitch Martin at a news conference Monday morning. “We are truly stumped in this particular investigation.”
With no solid leads as the search enters its second week, police are devoting fewer officers to the effort and they are planning to remove their command post vehicle Tuesday.
Police have conducted extensive ground and aerial searches in Whitby since the Bowmanville High School teacher was reported missing Jan. 13.
Boucher’s family and police believe he left for his usual morning run, although no one saw him leave.
Martin said the family is distraught over Boucher’s disappearance.
“They’re struggling with this, as you can imagine,” said Martin, the lead investigator on the case. “They want Mr. Boucher to be home.”
Some Whitby residents told investigators they believe they saw Boucher – a husband and father of two daughters – running that morning but police have not been able to confirm whether it was him.
Officers have also done searches in the Collingwood area, where Boucher’s family has a chalet.
Martin told reporters there is no evidence of foul play and police aren’t closing the door on any theories.
However, the possibility that Boucher fell and injured himself is becoming “less realistic” because he likely would have been found by now if that was the case, the detective said.
Police say they discovered nothing unusual about Boucher when they conducted an “extensive” investigation into his background, and his bank accounts and Internet profiles have yielded no clues.
Once the ground search ends, detectives will continue to follow up on leads and the investigation will remain open, Martin said.
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