Police activity at the former home of Glenn Bauman, Linda Daniel and Cheyenne Daniel seemed quieter Friday than it had been earlier in the week.
Bauman is accused of killing his common-law wife Linda Daniel and her daughter Cheyenne, who were last seen alive in July 2011.
He made a brief court appearance Friday via a video link, saying that he was still working to find a lawyer.
Waterloo Regional Police investigators have been scouring a property on Hessen Strasse near St. Clements in connection with the alleged murders.
Officers at the scene Friday seemed to be mainly interested in guarding the property.
Neighbours who recalled the family living in the area said that they seemed to keep to themselves during their time on Hessen Strasse, which began in 2006.
Real estate documents obtained by CTV Kitchener show that the property was put up for sale in June 2011, but didn’t sell. It was apparently subject to a foreclosure sale in 2012.
Officials at the school Cheyenne was attending were told that she would not be returning to class in September 2011 as the family was moving out of the province.
Bauman was arrested last week in Valleyview, Alta., where he had recently quit a job as a truck driver for a company in the oil fields.
Police say they have not located the remains of Linda Daniel or her daughter.
Legal analysts say it is unusual for murder charges to be laid in a case where no body has been found, but not unheard of – nor is it impossible to convict somebody under those circumstances.
“The important issue is to prove that they’re no longer around – that no one’s seen or heard from them, there’s been no credit card transactions and no phone calls,” former OPP commissioner Chris Lewis said in an interview.
Kitchener-based defence lawyer Bruce Ritter says there are “many ways” to prove murder without having the victim’s remains at hand, including eyewitness testimony, video surveillance or a confession from the killer.
“(A body) certainly makes it easier to prove it, but it’s not necessary,” he said.
With reporting by Leena Latafat and Max Wark