Search continues for missing Dowling man

BY KEITH LACEY

While dozens of tips have poured in from the public and several officers are working around the clock, Greater Sudbury  Police still don't have any idea where a Dowling man is located almost a week after he went missing.

Jeffrey Malcolm Mason, 37, hasn't been heard from since he disappeared from his Dowling residence last Wednesday.

Mason's home at 1473 Hwy. 144, just east of Dowling, was destroyed by fire last Thursday morning. Mason's late model Chevrolet was also found destroyed by fire last Thursday morning after it was found on a trail on Lonsdale Ave. in Minnow Lake. Police confirmed Mason's house was broken into prior to being set on fire.

Sgt. Terry Rumford, lead investigator for Greater Sudbury Police, confirmed Wednesday afternoon, the Ontario Fire Marshal's office has deemed both the house fire and motor vehicle fire as being deliberately set.

Police have received numerous tips each day since Mason was reported missing, said Rumford.

"We're pursuing a number of leads on a daily basis," he said.

Police did not find any signs of foul play inside Mason's home or car and this investigation continues to be dealt with as a missing person's case, said Rumford.

"There's no reason at this point for us to consider anything else," he said.

A grid search around Mason's home and near where his car were found have been conducted and some evidence has been forwarded to the Centre for Forensic Science, he said.

Because Mason has been missing for a week, local police have passed on information across Ontario, the rest of Canada and some parts of the United States, said Rumford.

Police called the press conference Wednesday because they wanted to keep the local media and members of the public updated on this high-profile case and to encourage people who might have information to continue to call in tips, said Rumford.

Mason did make a bank transaction last Wednesday, but Rumford wouldn't divulge the amount of money taken or whether or not it was a small or large amount of cash.

Mason is described as six-feet tall, 165 pounds, with blue eyes and brown, collar-length hair.

Every tip brought forward to police is investigated and people who believe they might have information are being encouraged to call police at 675-9171, he said.