It has been just over a year, but RCMP officers investigating the 2014 homicide of Tom Feeney say it isn’t a cold case.
Constable Tim Russell from the RCMP Kelowna Major Crimes Office says officers and investigators aren’t giving up on finding who is responsible for the death of Feeney in Rossland on June 5, 2014.
“The case is still in the investigative state,” he said. “Active investigation is being followed-up on a daily basis. There are still a number of investigators that are continuing to follow-up on active leads.”
There were numerous items stolen from the 75-year-old’s home in what police have said was a robbery that ended in homicide. None of the items have been recovered yet, but Russell says they haven’t stopped looking.
“The items that had initially been listed on the media conference in the first week (after Feeney was found), none of the items that we are seeking from the property have been recovered, so we are still looking for those,” he said.
Although it has been a year since Feeney was discovered, Russell says there is no such thing as a cold case in the RCMP. As long as there is a lead, investigators will follow.
“This unit, specifically, has investigations that are in the public’s mind, considered historical,” he explained. “There are instances where those do produce new leads and we are able to follow up and bring them to a successful conclusion years later.”
Sometimes, when the Major Crime Office runs out of ideas, or believes it may have missed something, the office calls in a fresh set of eyes to look at the case, but it still isn’t considered cold.
“Some investigations, they can go through file review periods,” said Russell. “The investigation will be reviewed by an independent group, outside of our major crime office. It is about ensuring that all information is followed-up with and that we didn’t overlook anything. With this investigation, though, we haven’t reached that point.”
Feeney was found deceased in his Rossland home on June 5, 2014. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that several items were missing from his home. Among those were five firearms, including one, a Pedersoli/Cimmaron Arms 1874 Sharps 45-70 rifle, which investigators have described as unique with an octagonal barrel and distinctive firing mechanism and sight. There was also an LCD television, a crossbow with a broken string and a set of .45 calibre reloading equipment reported as missing from the scene.
Police are not releasing the cause of death pending suspect identification.
Anyone with information about the homicide or any of the missing items, is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. All calls and information gets forwarded to the Kelowna Major Crimes Office.
