BALDWINTON — RCMP say, nearly 10 years after Edward (Ted) Keith Geddes of Baldwindton was last seen, two men who were known to him have been charged with kidnapping and first degree murder in relation to his death.
Robert “Bob” Welsey Pich, 58, and John Robert Gregoire, 70, both from the Baldwinton area have each been charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping with a firearm. Pich is also charged with careless use of a firearm and Gregoire is charged with indecently interfering with human remains.
Ted Geddes was 64-years-old when he was last seen in April, 2011, in the Baldwinton area. When RCMP officers went to his residence in Baldwinton as part of an unrelated incident in mid-April that same year, they located Ted’s dog dead in the entranceway. The dog’s death was not from natural causes.
“When Ted could not be located, RCMP officers started a missing person investigation,” says Insp. Josh Graham, acting Officer in Charge of Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes. “Ted’s disappearance was believed to be suspicious in nature shortly after. Concentrated investigative efforts were renewed in 2021 by the Saskatchewan RCMP Historical Case Unit, with the assistance of the RCMP Major Crimes Unit, which ultimately led to our announcement of charges laid.”
After a nearly year-long investigation by the Saskatchewan RCMP Historical Case Unit, with the assistance of the RCMP Major Crime Unit, and consultation with Saskatchewan Crown Prosecution, two men were arrested and charged on Feb. 6 in relation to the death of Ted Geddes.
Both made their first appearance in North Battleford Provincial Court at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 8.
Their next appearance is in North Battleford Provincial Court on March 8, 2022.
This investigation was conducted with the assistance of multiple RCMP units including Cut Knife RCMP Detachment, Saskatchewan RCMP Historical Case Unit with the assistance of the Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crime Unit, RCMP Forensic Identification Section, among others.
Search warrants were executed Tuesday at a rural property outside the community of Baldwinton. There will be an increased police presence in this area for the next day, RCMP said Wednesday.
“As time passes, people responsible for these types of crimes might assume the police aren’t investigating them – this is simply not the case. This is just one example that demonstrates the continued perseverance and commitment of our homicide investigators in helping bring a sense of closure for the family and friends of victims of homicide in Saskatchewan. Even if that takes nearly 10 years, as with this case,” says Insp. Graham, adding, “This investigation is still ongoing because Ted has not been located. We want to bring that closure to his family, so our investigators will continue to work diligently to try and locate Ted and bring him home.”
At the time of his disappearance, RCMP were looking for Geddes on an outstanding warrant.
According to RCMP news releases at the time, the warrant of arrest for Edward Geddes was for theft over $5,000 stemming from an offence in April, 2011, in the community of Neilburg. Shortly after this date, Geddes disappeared and had not been seen by friends or family.
The RCMP archives stated, “The warrant and theft offence is secondary to the importance of him being found as family have become concerned. Geddes has been known to travel to Manitoba and British Columbia and has been employed in the auto repair industry. There is no one specific vehicle associated to Edward Geddes as he was known to buy and sell vehicles on a regular basis.”
