Dellen Millard made a brief court appearance Thursday, as police spent a fourth straight day searching his farm property south of Kitchener.
Millard, along with Mark Smich – who also appeared in court – is accused of first-degree murder in the death of Ancaster resident Tim Bosma.
Both men have said they intend to plead not guilty.
Bosma’s burnt remains were found on the farm in late May, but it’s a different case that has police searching the farm for a second time and a fourth straight day.
Laura Babcock, 23, was last seen in Toronto in July 2012. Police say she and Millard had an unusual romantic relationship, and it’s because of her disappearance that police have spent the week at the Roseville Road farm.
Thursday morning, officers – primarily from the Toronto Police Services – backed up a forensics truck to a set of barn doors and removed multiple items.
One of the items appeared to be a piece of heavy, rusted farm equipment, while another appeared to be a large wooden plank.
All items were wrapped in plastic.
Later in the day, officers were seen fishing for items in an old septic tank.
Former Waterloo Regional Police officer Rob Brown tells CTV News that investigators were likely looking to take the items for closer examination at a site less open to the effects of weather.
“The barns are old, they’re deteriorating, they’re open to the elements,” he says.
“If it rains … everything inside tends to get very wet.”
As for why police returned to the farm this week after previously searching it for several days in June in connection with Babcock’s disappearance, Brown says officers have likely learned information pointing them in a new direction.
“They may have new evidence leading them toward something that could be very miniscule, such as DNA placed somewhere,” he says.
Before Millard purchased the farm in 2011, it was used as a pig farm.
The next court appearances for Millard and Smich are set for Oct. 22.
