Charged With Her Murder, But Esther Is Still Missing: Where Is Esther Jones?

Esther Jones was 55 years old when she disappeared from Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley in the summer of 2024. What initially began as a search for a missing woman would change dramatically within days, becoming a homicide investigation that eventually stretched beyond Canada’s borders. Although police would ultimately charge a man with Esther’s murder, one heartbreaking question would remain unanswered: where is Esther?

Esther lived in the Torbrook area of Annapolis County. Those who knew her described her as a loving and caring woman whose disappearance devastated her family. Her niece, Esther Uhlman, who was named after her aunt, later spoke publicly about how difficult it was for the family to comprehend what investigators believed had happened.

Esther was last seen on August 31, 2024, in the Greenwood area. Investigators would later determine that she had been at or near the Kingston Bible College that afternoon. According to the RCMP, police believe a struggle occurred at the college at approximately 4:50pm. Investigators also believe Esther was killed that same day.

When Esther did not return and her family was unable to reach her, she was reported missing on September 2. At that point, police were searching for a missing 55-year-old woman. There was no public confirmation that a crime had occurred, and her family was still hoping she would be found safe.

Then, on September 4, police located Esther’s silver 2009 Volkswagen Passat abandoned in Greenwood. The discovery became an important development in the investigation. Searches were conducted and warrants were executed at locations throughout Annapolis County, including areas around Kingston, Greenwood and South Tremont.

As investigators began piecing together Esther’s final known movements, information from her family and people within the community helped police develop new leads. RCMP investigators later revealed that the man who would eventually be accused of killing Esther had not initially been considered a suspect.

The investigation eventually turned toward Dale Allen Toole, a 54-year-old Tremont man. Police said Esther and Toole were not blood relatives, although there were family connections through marriage and the two lived within the same general community.

By the time investigators believed they had developed grounds to connect Toole with Esther’s death, however, he had left Canada.

Authorities discovered that Toole was travelling through the United States. On September 12, he was at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, reportedly intending to continue on to Mexico. According to the RCMP, American border authorities had independently selected him for additional screening.

What followed was an international effort involving Canadian and American authorities. The RCMP worked with Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Canadian liaison officers in the United States and Mexico. Toole was detained before he could continue to Mexico and was subsequently deported back to Canada.

When Toole arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canadian authorities were waiting.

He was arrested, and on September 13, 2024 – less than two weeks after Esther had last been seen – the RCMP announced that Dale Allen Toole had been charged with first-degree murder in connection with her death. The charge is an allegation and must be proven in court; Toole has not been convicted of Esther’s murder.

But there was something unusual about the case.

Esther had not been found.

Despite the absence of her remains, investigators said the evidence they had gathered was sufficient to support a first-degree murder charge. Police have not publicly disclosed everything they believe happened inside or around Kingston Bible College that afternoon, nor have they released all of the evidence upon which the prosecution is based.

Investigators have, however, publicly stated that they believe a struggle involving Esther occurred at approximately 4:50pm on August 31 and that she was killed that day.

What happened afterward remains one of the most important unanswered questions in the case.

Even after Toole’s arrest, investigators continued searching for Esther. Police interviewed more than 100 people, collected surveillance footage from more than 50 businesses and searched multiple locations as they attempted to reconstruct her final movements and determine where her remains might have been taken.

In June 2025, investigators from the Southwest Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit returned to the Greenwood area. They conducted additional interviews and searches as part of the continuing effort to locate Esther.

For her family, the murder charge could not provide everything they needed. Someone had been accused of taking Esther’s life, but Esther herself was still missing.

The RCMP has acknowledged the importance of finding her remains – not only because they could provide additional evidence in the criminal investigation, but because locating Esther could give her family answers and allow them to finally bring her home.

There are still significant pieces of the story that have not been made public. Investigators have not publicly established a motive for the alleged killing. They have not provided a complete account of what they believe happened between Esther and Toole before her disappearance, and they have not disclosed all of the evidence that led them to charge him with first-degree murder.

Most importantly, they have not found Esther.

Her case therefore occupies a particularly painful space between a homicide investigation and a missing-person case. Police believe they know that Esther was killed and have accused someone of killing her, but the search that began after her disappearance has never truly ended.

More than a year after Esther vanished, the question facing her family and investigators is no longer simply what happened to her.

It is where she was taken and where Esther Jones is now.

Anyone with information about the homicide of Esther Jones or the location of her remains is asked to contact the Southwest Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit at 902-365-3120 or Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Sources: Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Nova Scotia RCMP), Global News, The Canadian Press, CityNews Halifax, and Your South Shore.