Police say they haven’t ruled out anything as they continue to scour a Whitby neighbourhood for a high school teacher that vanished after leaving his house for a morning run on Monday.
Jeffrey Boucher, 52, was reported missing at around 8:30 a.m. Monday after he failed to return home from his regular jog.
Boucher, described as an experienced runner, normally departs at about 6 a.m. and returns home by 7 a.m. after running up to 15 kilometres.
“We are very wide-open in our spectrum of possibilities,” Durham Regional Police Sgt. Nancy van Rooy told reporters late Wednesday afternoon. “He could have succumbed to an injury or a fall or he could have walked away for his own reasons. There are really a number of possibilities and a number of leads but the starting point for us is the belief that he did in fact step out for that morning run on Monday and has not yet returned.”
In their search for Boucher, police have been using a helicopter with heat-detecting infrared technology, all-terrain vehicles and canine units.
Officers have also been assisted by the Ontario Volunteer Emergency Response Team (OVERT).
“We have no expectation of stopping (the search) and we are still holding out hope,” van Rooy told reporters. “We do know that there is only so much time that you can remain outdoors and survive this type of weather, but we don’t have any real proof at this point that he (Boucher) is still outside.”
Police do not know for sure what Boucher was wearing at the time of his disappearance, but they say they believe he was in a dark-blue or black running top made by Mountain Equipment Co-op.
Investigators are reviewing surveillance video and police say they have obtained a brief clip from a residential security camera that shows a shadowy figure jogging by at around 5:30 a.m. Monday, but they do not know if the person is Boucher.
Police are asking people who have security cameras to review the footage from around that time of the morning, and they are asking all Whitby residents to check their properties for Boucher.
“The appeal is being made to everyone, including our missing person, to contact police and let us know about any information that may be relevant to our investigation,” van Rooy said.
Boucher disappeared briefly on Sunday
Though Boucher does not have a history of running away, his daughter did grow concerned after he disappeared for about three hours Sunday night.
“My dad went running 3 hours ago and he isn’t home yet. Anyone seen a 50 year old man lying on a side walk,” his 17-year-old daughter Bettina wrote in a tweet, which was later deleted.
Speaking with reports Wednesday, van Rooy said Boucher did later return home that night and was reportedly fine.
“He stepped out for a run and he was just gone longer than expected by his family members but he did return home,” she said.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 1-888-579-1520 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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