Police probing the mysterious disappearance of 32-year-old Tim Bosma, a church-going father who vanished Monday night after two men showed up at his Ancaster home inquiring about a pickup truck he was selling, believe the truck may hold the key to what happened.
Police say a Toronto man has been charged in connection with the case of missing Hamilton, Ont., father who disappeared after taking two men on a test drive of his pickup truck.
Tim Bosma was reported missing Monday night after two men arrived at his home for a test drive of his black 2007 Dodge Ram pickup, which Bosma had listed for sale online.
Hamilton police Superintendent Dan Kinsella told a news conference the male suspect was arrested without incident while driving in Mississauga, west of Toronto.
Kinsella says the man has the word "Ambition" tattooed inside a box on his wrist — matching the description of a "unique" tattoo spotted on one of the suspects.
Kinsella says Bosma has not yet been found as police continue to search nearby Brantford, where Bosma's cellphone was discovered Thursday.
Dellen Millard, 27, is charged with forcible confinement and theft over $5,000.
The suspect's family reportedly founded Millard Air, a charter airline that has operations in Ontario's Waterloo Region.
When he was 14 years old, Dellen Millard became the youngest person in the world to fly a helicopter solo.
Meanwhile the hunt for Bosma, his Dodge Ram pickup, and a second male suspect, continues.
Staff-Sergeant Matt Kavanagh of the Hamilton homicide squad told a media briefing Friday that a day earlier the same two men went for a drive with a Toronto resident who had a similar truck for sale, but that nothing unusual took place.
He urged business owners in Brantford, west of Hamilton, to check their video-surveillance security systems for May 5 between 9:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Asked if Mr. Bosma is thought to be still alive, he replied, "We always have to hold out hope."
With the search in its fifth day and concern now steadily mounting, Mr. Bosma's wife earlier issued a tearful plea for his safe return.
Police probing the disappearance of the 32-year-old church-going father believe the truck may hold the key to what happened. The working theory is that he was abducted by the visitors.
"I beg whoever has my husband to let him go, please call the police anonymously and let them know where he is," Sharlene Bosma told reporters.
"It's just a truck. You don't need him, but I do, and our daughter needs her daddy back so please, please let him come home."
After Mr. Bosma went missing, detectives put his life and lifestyle under a microscope and drew a blank, unearthing nothing suspicious, no history of trouble and no clues as to where he might be.
The couple and their two-year-old daughter live in a large, comfortable house in rural Ancaster, an affluent community just west of Hamilton, and belong to the Ancaster Christian Reformed Church.
"It's a strange one," Staff-Sgt. Kavanagh said earlier.
"We've done a lot of background on both Mr. Bosma and Mrs. Bosma and there's nothing out there to indicate anything other than what appears on the surface – it's the first question we ask. This is a good family, very well supported by their church and community, nice people."
Mr. Bosma had posted a for-sale ad for his truck on Kijiji and Auto Trader.
He wanted $24,000 for the 2007 black Dodge Ram 3500 pickup – slightly lower than the median price for similar vehicles of that year and make – and on Monday evening two men who said they were from Toronto appeared on his doorstep asking about it.
Mr. Bosma told Sharlene he was taking the pair for a quick demo drive and would be back shortly.
The trio left together at around 9:30 p.m.
Mr. Bosma was wearing dark blue jeans, work boots and a long-sleeved shirt. He had his cellphone with him when he drove away but it has since been disconnected.
His wife said Thursday her ordeal has been devastating.
"We hope and we pray that today is the last day of this nightmare," she said.
"One of the kids the other day said Uncle Timmy has been stolen and I cannot describe it better than that. Tim has been stolen from us. This does not feel like real life," she said.
"This only happens on TV and the movies."
With a report from Tim Appleby