Police seek help in Rossland homicide
By Trail Champion
The following is a press release via Superintendent Tim Head, the acting Southeast District Officer for the BC RCMP:
“We are here today to seek the public’s assistance in the on-going and active homicide investigation into the death of a Rossland man.
On Thursday June 5th at approximately 11 a.m. the Trail and Greater District RCMP Detachment received a 9-1-1 call with regards to the discovery of a body at a residence on Feeney Road near Rossland, BC. Upon arrival police located the body of a deceased male inside the residence.
This is a homicide investigation and we can now confirm that deceased is 75-year-old Thomas Feeney. Tom was a long-time resident of the area, in fact the road the residence is located on, is named after his family.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my condolences to Tom’s family, in particular his son – Tom Feeney and son-in-law – Colin Lohrer– who are here today. On behalf of the RCMP, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family as you deal with this tragic loss.
With respect to the investigation I can confirm that immediately upon arrival additional resources were called in to assist with this investigation. The BC RCMP Southeast District Major Crime Unit, with the assistance from the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit and the Kootenay Boundary Regional General Investigation Section are investigating this tragic death. The area was cordoned off, the scene has undergone an extensive review by the Forensic Identification Section and the neighbourhood has been canvassed. The BC Coroner Service was notified and an autopsy has been scheduled for today in order to confirm the exact cause of death. While I will not be providing specifics with respect to what we know to date about the homicide – I can say that this appears to be a break and enter type incident that ended in a violent and disturbing homicide.
At this time the preliminary findings from the investigation lead police to believe that this appears to be a random incident – or a crime of opportunity which has taken the life of a 75 year old man. We know that crimes of this nature, especially one involving a great man, like Tom Feeney, is disturbing. I would like to assure the public that this is a priority investigation and any and all resources needed to identify the individual or individuals responsible are in place.
We are also reviewing any other break-ins in the area as we have not been able to eliminate the possibility that there is a connection with the homicide investigation. We therefore ask any local residents to ensure that if you have been the target of an attempted break-in, or the victim of a break-in, to please contact police and report the details.
While our efforts continue, we do need the public’s assistance. A series of specific items are missing from Tom’s residence. We believe that by releasing photos and descriptions of the items, someone out there may have information that will lead us to the recovery of the items and individual or individuals who took them.
There are three items we are looking for information about:
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An Emerson 40 1080p LCD Television
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Five Firearms including a unique one described as a Pedersoli/Cimarron Arms 1874 Sharps 45-70. This is an extremely unique (rifle) – with an octagon shaped barrel and a distinctive firing mechanism and sigh
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Ammunition reloading equipment – including a very distinctive 45 calibre projectile (as pictured).
In addition to releasing information about these items, the RCMP have also set up a dedicated tipline for the public to call should they have any information about the items or this homicide. We are asking for the media to please assist us with broadcasting the Tipline which is 1-877-987-8477.
The public is encouraged to call the Feeney Homicide Tipline. However if you forget the number please call your local police department or CrimeStoppers.
We can’t stress enough the importance for media to assist us in getting these item descriptions and the tipline out to the public in order
to move this investigation forward. We are committed to following up on the information we receive in order to identify and hold the individual or individuals responsible.
Thank you.
