Tim Bosma, missing since test drive, may not have been first target

An Ontario man who disappeared while giving two men a test drive in his truck may not have been the first target of potentially-fatal deception, police said yesterday as they appealing for information about his whereabouts.

Hamilton police say Timothy Bosma, 32, of Ancaster, Ont., disappeared Monday evening while trying to sell his pickup truck to two men who contacted him through an online posting.

Bosma was last seen before leaving on a test drive with the two men, believed to be from Toronto. His cell phone has since been discovered in an industrial area near Brantford, Ont., police confirmed on Friday. Witnesses said his truck was spotting in the area about the same time.

"We always have to hold out hope," Hamilton police Det. Sgt. Matt Kavanagh told reporters when asked whether Bosma was still alive. "That's all I can say."

According to investigators, Bosma had listed his truck for sale on Kijiji.com, and the men contacted him through the phone number he left on his advertisement.

But Bosma may not have been the first to be targeted by the two suspects. Police have traced the cell phone number used to contact Bosma and learned the same number was used to set up a meeting to test drive a similar truck in Toronto the previous day.

The owner of that vehicle confirmed for police that he had a similar run-in with two suspicious men one day before Bosma disappeared.

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Kavanagh said the man was also trying to sell his truck online and on May 5, he met with two men under very similar circumstances. The two men walked to a meeting with him in an industrial area and took the car for a test drive, with the taller of the two driving and the other man sitting in the back seat, behind the truck’s owner.

Kavanagh says something about the experience felt odd to the man, and he now suspects he may have been targeted by the same suspects.

"Fortunately for this person he was a very large individual. I think he probably would have overpowered the both of them. That was his advantage," Kavanagh told reporters.

The two suspects are described as white men in their mid-20s. One is believed to be 6’2” with short brown hair, and the other is believed to be 5’10” with dark hair, who wore a hooded sweatshirt.

The man targeted in Toronto told police the taller of the men had tattoos covering his arms, but one that stood out was the word "ambition" marked along one of his wrists.

Bosma, a private contractor in the construction industy, is described as blonde with blue eyes. He is the father of a two-year-old daughter

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Earlier this week, Bosma's wife Sharlene released a statement begging for his safe return.

The statement reads:

The missing truck is described as a black 2007 Dodge Ram with Ontario licence plate 726 7ZW.

Anyone who spots the two suspects, Bosma or the pickup truck is asked to contact Hamilton police.