By Angie Sullivan
One of York Regional Police’s oldest unsolved cold cases, the disappearance of Wilfred, Ontario’s 12-year-old Robbie Brown almost 60 years ago, is heating up thanks to a U.S. true crime podcast.
Robbie Brown was swimming at Holmes Point Beach on August 3, 1968, with his mother and sister. Later, he waved goodbye to them at the church campgrounds across from the Cedardale Church of the Nazarene on Pefferlaw Rd. He was supposed to walk home to start his paper route. However, his newspaper bundle was never picked up, and Robbie was never seen again.
The episode of The BrainScratch Searchlight Podcast was released on YouTube on April 3 and dove deep into the mystery.
Host John Lordan, known for his respectful tone and careful analysis, interviewed Robbie’s younger brother, Ross Brown, about the family’s lack of closure and the impact of Robbie’s loss.
Brown hopes the podcast will help generate new tips and said, “It’s been a long, long time. The abnormal has become normal.”
The podcast also featured Highlands Tracking Search and Rescue members Ken Bilboe and Barry Todd Hunter, who are planning to conduct further area searches, not covered by the original police search, in Pefferlaw this spring.
“Injecting modern search practices into older cold cases can add a new ‘lens’ or ‘filter’ to the case. This can lead to new and previously unforeseen avenues of investigation,” said Bilboe.
While Bilboe is a YRP search and rescue technican with a reputation as one of Canada’s leading human trackers, he is not affiliated with YRP cold case investigators, and his work on cold cases is strictly as a civilian volunteer, conducted while off-duty.
Host John Lordan told the Post, “The main reason why I wanted to become part of Robbie Brown’s case is that it simply doesn’t have enough coverage. There are certain cases that content creators cover over and over, but I’ve always been more motivated by the cases that I know need help. Ken made it very clear to me this is one of those cases, and that was enough for me to say ‘let’s do it.'”
The podcast questions some previous assumptions made by the 1968 OPP and Georgina Police investigation, including the primary search area at Holmes Point Beach, as well as referencing skeletal remains found near the church campgrounds, Robbie’s last known location, in the late 70s.
Bilboe is hoping to have the skeletal remains exhumed and DNA tested.
“Skeletal remains were actually found underneath the skirting boards of one of those cottages in 1979, which was about 80 meters away from where a resident said they were playing with Robbie on the swing set. Those skeletal remains at the time, by the opinion of the coroner, were deemed to be Indigenous remains,” Bilboe said on the podcast.
According to Bilboe, the measurement techniques used to identify Indigenous remains were notoriously inaccurate. “Down to approximately 40 percent accuracy,” he said.
Bilboe is leading a preliminary search of a farm property Robbie may have crossed near Pefferlaw on Saturday, April 18, beginning at 11 a.m., and encourages local volunteers to take part (ken@highlandstracking.com).
“We will conduct a ground-level search and drone map the property and establish our priority search areas. This will not be a formal search, but if anyone can attend, your input and your opinions of the grid priority would be helpful and appreciated,” he said.
There will also be a public information event about the ongoing search for Robbie Brown on Saturday, April 25, at 11 a.m. at Cedardale Church of the Nazarene, 471 Pefferlaw Road.
“In my past experiences with the residents in Pefferlaw, and based on some recent contacts, I believe strongly that we will get some tip information in Robbie’s case,” said Bilboe.
The episode about Robbie Brown can be viewed by searching LordonARTS on YouTube or Robbie Brown Case Deep Dive | BrainScratch Searchlight (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5VynJT4CHM).
Other potential search dates are slated for Saturdays on May 2, May 9, May 16, and May 23.
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