OPP use billboard van in stalled homicide investigation
CBC News | Posted: August 29, 2016 4:58 PM | Last Updated: August 29, 2016
The body of Frederick "John" Hatch was found near the Town of Erin last December
Ontario Provincial Police are driving a photo of Frederick "John" Hatch across the province as part of a homicide investigation into the man's death.
The photo is mounted on a billboard van, which will be driven from the Town of Erin, where the body of the 65-year-old man was found last December, to the Ottawa area.
According to police, it is an "unprecedented" method of eliciting information from the public.
"It's going to be positioned in small communities along highway 7, with the hopes that it will generate tips and leads from people that would have saw Mr. Hatch during his travels," said Sgt. Dave Rektor with West Region OPP.
"We have used traditional and social media in the past," Rektor said.
"But, the purpose of this bill board is that its permanent and hopefully will generate some attention from someone who believes they recognize Mr. Hatch."
Body found last December
Hatch's body was found on Dec. 17, 2015, east of the 10th Line off Wellington Road 124 near the Town of Erin, Ont.
He was last seen the day before in the Ottawa area at a Dollar Tree Store.
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At the time of his death, he was wearing a denim vest with Mickey Mouse characters on the back, a black leather jacket, a blue/white bandana, glasses, black Harley Davidson boots and was carrying a red duffel bag.
A $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for his death was offered in June of this year.