Toronto police extend investigation into two missing gay men

Police have followed up on 150 leads regarding Selim Esen and Andrew Kinsman, but still don’t know what happened to them

Months after Selim Esen and Andrew Kinsman went missing, Toronto police still don’t know what happened to either man.

Toronto police have extended their dedicated task force investigating the missing men for another 60 days. They are treating both disappearances as suspicious.

Esen, 44, was last seen on April 14, 2017, near his St James Town apartment, while Kinsman, 49, hasn’t been seen since June 26, 2017, when he was returning to his Cabbagetown home. There’s no evidence that the two men are connected in any way.

Toronto police say they have interviewed over two dozen people during the course of their investigation and have followed up on 150 leads.

Esen, who came to Canada from Turkey three years ago, had just completed a week-long peer counselling course at St Stephen’s Community House in Toronto a month before he was last seen.

Kinsman, who worked and volunteered in HIV/AIDS outreach, is a well-known member of Toronto’s downtown LGBT community.

Toronto’s LGBT community has become increasingly concerned about the disappearances, with many people linking them to three other men who went missing between 2010 and 2012.

While all five men are similar in appearance, no evidence has come forth that indicates any of their disappearances are related.

Toronto police have set up a dedicated tip line at 416-808-2021.

Legacy: January 11, 2018 12:01 pmAn earlier version of this story featured a different photo of Selim Esen in the landing image.

Read More About:
Power, News, Policing, Toronto

Keep Reading

Job discrimination against trans and non-binary people is alive and well

OPINION: A study reveals that we have a long way to go to reach workplace equality for trans and non-binary people

The new generation of gay Conservative sellouts

OPINION: Melissa Lantsman’s and Eric Duncan’s refusals to call out their party’s transphobia is a betrayal of the LGBTQ2S+ community

Over 300 anti-LGBTQ2S+ bills have been introduced this year. This doesn’t mean we should panic

OPINION: While it’s important to watch out for threats, not all threats are created equally. Some of these bills will die a natural death

Xtra’s top LGBTQ2S+ stories of the year

The best and brightest—even most bewildering—stories from a back catalogue brimming with insight