The 2024 Nova Scotia Homicide Victim List is available here.

Annapolis District RCMP began a missing persons investigation on September 2nd when Esther Jones was reported missing to police.

RCMP said she was last seen on August 31st at the Kingston Bible College in Greenwood. Officers located Ms. Jones’ vehicle, a silver 2009 Volkswagen Passat, abandoned in Greenwood.

On September 11, the Southwest Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit charged fifty-four-year-old Dale Allen Toole of Tremont, Annapolis County, with first-degree murder in relation to Ms. Jones’ disappearance.

Update September 5th 2026: Dale Toole, who was originally charged with first-degree murder in the death of 55-year-old Esther Jones, has pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree murder in Kentville Supreme Court.

According to an agreed statement of facts reported by CTV News, Jones was killed at Kingston Bible College in Nova Scotia on Aug. 31, 2024. Her body has never been recovered.

Jones was reported missing days later after her family became concerned when she stopped responding to calls and messages. Investigators later gathered surveillance footage and forensic evidence linking Toole to the college and to Jones’s vehicle. DNA evidence connected Toole to items found at the scene, while Jones’s DNA was also discovered inside his truck.

Police say Toole left Canada for Houston, Texas, shortly after investigators began focusing on him. He was reportedly planning to travel onward to Mexico but was returned to Canada by U.S. authorities and arrested.

The agreed facts do not disclose a motive or explain how Jones was killed. Toole is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 16, 2026, when a sentencing date is expected to be addressed.

Update: On September 9, the Southwest Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit (SWN MCU) located the remains in a wooded area in Cloud Lake. The Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service has confirmed that they are those of Esther Jones.

“The dedication and perseverance of the investigative team, together with the support of our policing partners, were instrumental in advancing this investigation,” says Cpl. Mike Robinson, SWN MCU. “We’re grateful to Esther’s family and the community for their support throughout the investigation and court process. We hope this recovery provides answers to outstanding questions and helps bring a measure of closure and healing to those closest to Esther.”