Pre-update
Niagara Falls, Ontario — The family of a man who may be missing in Niagara Falls is putting out an impassioned plea for anyone with information regarding his whereabouts.
50 year old William 'Bill' Bokstein's family says they just want him back, and miss him terribly.
William Bokstein left his residence in Hamilton, Ontario on February 23, 2018 at 08:00 A.M. to drop his daughter off at school. After dropping off his daughter, it is believed that Mr. Bokstein traveled to Niagara Falls.
Every year, Hamilton police receive more than 1,500 reports of missing people. Sometimes they are found right away and sometimes they don't want to be found. But each must be taken seriously. When someone is seriously in trouble, every minute counts.
On February 25, 2018, William Bokstein was captured on video near the Fallsview Casino where he withdrew money. Mr. Bokstein has never gone missing before and has not been in contact with his family since, which is out of character for him.
He is a white man, about 5'10, 180-190 lbs. He has short, dirty blond, grey hair and blue eyes. Bokstein also has a nose ring, an earring, and tattoos on both arms and legs.
Const. Kim Walker is Hamilton's only missing person co-ordinator, a position created in 2011 and that she's held since late 2015. "I see every single one that comes through every day," Walker says. It's her job to make sure no detail is missed.
Most reports come in the same way - at a police station front desk - and most are investigated by front-line officers - representing a huge part of the workload for uniform patrol.
In Hamilton, there have been near miraculous cases where people have been found days after going missing. In 2015, for instance, Franco Mamone, then 75, was found in a field in Dundas three days after going missing without his medication.
If you have information on William Bokstein's case, please contact any of the following:
Hamilton Police Service: 905-546-3843 / 905-540-6477
Reference Case #: 18546182
Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-TIPS(8477)
