Taylor Samson murder investigators search Lower Truro property
William Michael Sandeson charged with 1st-degree murder; both men were Dalhousie students
Police in Nova Scotia spent most of Tuesday searching a private property in Lower Truro in connection to the murder of Taylor Samson, a student at Dalhousie University.
Halifax Regional Police and RCMP say the investigation remains active and they have been following up on tips from the public.
Theresa Rath, a spokesperson for the Halifax Regional Police, cautioned that some of the information that has come in has been "based on speculation and opinion" and is asking the public to call police only with credible information.
"That's a little bit problematic for us because we do follow up on every tip that comes in, we have to pursue every possible avenue to bring this case to a successful conclusion," she said.
"Through the course of the investigation, we have been led to that property today. We obtained a search warrant and we will be searching that particular property."
Officers at the scene describe it as a massive search area that includes a property on the corner of Soley Brook Loop. One officer was spotted walking into a nearby corn field with a dog from the canine unit.
The search was suspended at dark.
William Michael Sandeson, a 22-year-old fellow Dalhousie University kinesiology student and track athlete from Lower Truro, is charged with first-degree murder in Samson's death. He was about to start his first year of medical school.
Samson's body has not been found.
Rath would not say whether the Lower Truro property is being searched for Samson's body.
"We won't go into specifics of that," she said.
Police suspect victim was involved in drug deal
According to a warrant filed in Halifax provincial court, police had "reasonable grounds" to believe there was marijuana in Samson's apartment.
Samson, who was from Amherst, was last seen around 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 15 on South Street at the Sigma Chi fraternity house to which he belonged.
Police suspect Samson was involved in a drug deal before his death, say the court documents.
Samson's girlfriend told police he left the apartment the night he disappeared with a black duffel bag, containing what she believed was marijuana.
She told police when he left, he only took his phone and left behind his wallet and keys, as well as medication for a liver disorder. He told her he would "only be gone for 15 minutes," according to court documents.
Further investigation led police to search a home in the 1200 block of Henry Street in Halifax. Court documents list Sandeson's address as 1210 Henry St. and police say they believe that's where Samson was murdered. It's around the corner from the fraternity house.
The court documents do not say how police linked Samson's disappearance to the suspected murder scene on Henry Street.