The body found in a pond near Professor Day Drive and 8th Line in Bradford on Friday has been confirmed to be that of Siem Zerezghi, the 15-year-old boy who went missing on Oct. 24.
South Simcoe Police Chief Andrew Fletcher provided an update on the case Monday afternoon and thanked the community for its ongoing support/
A post mortem exam on the body was conducted yesterday in Toronto, and the cause of death is determined to be from drowning. Police do not suspect foul play.
How Siem ended up in the pond is still unclear. Police say he was familiar with the pond, and often travelled the path surrounding it to walk to and from his parent's house and aunt's house.
"We don't know what drew him to that pond, we know he is familiar to that pond," said Fletcher, adding that his father would often take him to the area to play sports.
Security camera footage shows Siem walking northbound on Longview Drive at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24. His father was at work and didn't notice his son was gone until he came home.
The family reached out to their friends looking for Siem. At around 11 p.m. on Saturday, there was still no sign of him, which prompted them to contact the police for help.
Fletcher said the investigation into missing persons starts as soon as the report is received. Right away, they began contacting family and friends of Siem.
"We do what we can to try to identify where Siem may be," he explained.
Fletcher confirmed there was a lot of behind-the-scenes work being done from Saturday night into Sunday, and Monday before advancing to a formal ground search on Tuesday.
"For every one person you saw on the ground searching, there were at least two other detailed investigators working behind the scenes," he said.
Siem had contacts in neighbouring communities, some as far away as Cobourg.
"It wasn't abnormal for Siem to visit those communities," said Fletcher, "so our search was broad in scope and magnitude."
The ground search was extensive, with help from the Georgian Bay Search and Rescue team, as well as Bradford West Gwillimbury Fire, Innisfil Fire, York Regional Police and OPP.
On Friday afternoon, Siem's black jacket and one of his sandals were found by the edge of the pond near Professor Day Drive and 8th Line. Fletcher said he did not believe he knew how to swim.
The evidence was found outside the initial search area.
"It's not something that you would spot from afar, it would have to be up close," said Fletcher, who said ATV searchers were nearby the area earlier in the week but could not see the evidence from their vehicles.
Police then called in the OPP underwater search and recovery unit to search the pond.
"Thankfully on Friday evening they were able to pull Siem out of that pond," he said. "When I say thankfully that is not the end we had all hoped for and definitely didn't want it to end this way...but it's important for the family that they have some closure now, and they have Siem's body back."
"Based on what we know right now, we can't track his movements beyond the middle of the day on Saturday," confirmed Fletcher, "we don't have any video or footage of him going into the water but that's our best guess at this point in time is that he was in the water on Saturday morning."
But how and why is still a mystery.
"Siem was a very private person, he kept to himself," said Fletcher, and the family was unaware of where he was going or what he was doing that day.
An Amber Alert was not issued, Fletcher said, because the case did not fit the criteria. An Amber Alert is only issued when a child goes missing under suspicious circumstances early on in the investigation, and usually when a child is removed from the home.
Fletcher said he was overwhelmed by the support from the community and their willingness to help with the investigation and provide support to the family and searchers.
"Last night, we witnessed the unprecedented outpouring of support and caring for this community with the vigil started that was started by members of the community," he said, noting how powerful it was to have Siem's family there as well.
"What bravery and courage on their part to actually participate in that," said Fletcher.
Fletcher noted this was not the outcome anyone wanted, and every member involved in the case are grieving.
"Our hearts go out to Siem's family and everyone that is impacted by this," he said.
Mayor Rob Keffer thanked the police service for all their hard work and acknowledged the overwhelming support from the community over the past week.
"We certainly were devastated by the news and it was shown by the vigil that occurred last night," said Mayor Keffer. "It was a heartfelt pause our community needed."
He reiterated this was not the outcome anyone was hoping for, but the town is here to support the family through this difficult time.
"I am very proud of my community and the support they've shown over the past week," he said.
The investigation is still ongoing and anyone with information is being asked to contact police at (905) 775-3311.
