Homicide detectives search for city manBy MICHELLE THOMPSON, SUN MEDIA
October 23, 2008
Edmonton - On the night he disappeared, Johnny Altinger was heading to meet a mystery woman he'd been chatting with on the Internet, says a colleague.
But police would not speculate on that theory yesterday, calling it a "rumour" they couldn't speak to in relation to Altinger's Oct. 10 disappearance.
The following Tuesday - four days later - an unusual e-mail was sent from Altinger's e-mail account, his colleague Hans-Wilhelm Adam told Sun Media.
"My boss received an e-mail saying: 'I quit. I'm going on extended leave,'" Adam said, adding such a move was uncharacteristic for his 38-year-old pal.
Altinger, believed to be a single guy living in the south end, has been described by friends as a quiet man who kept to himself.
Homicide detectives are treating his disappearance as suspicious.
Residents of an area near 40 Avenue and 57 Street reported seeing police activity at a nearby taped-off walking path for about four days.
"So far detectives have explained to me that they can't get into any details of the ongoing investigation and wouldn't want to speculate on any rumours," said police spokesman Dean Parthenis.
Police aren't the only ones concerned about Altinger.
Adam, who has spent the past year and a half working with him at Argus Machine in Nisku, said he's concerned Altinger might have crossed paths with the wrong person online.
"On Friday night, he was online chatting with a girl," said Adam. "And she basically said, 'Come on, let's meet together.' "
Adam said his friend was then given directions, which he passed along to a pal, but the instructions didn't lead to a specific address.
Before leaving his home that day, Altinger sent a note to a friend, telling him about the date, Adam said,
Kenny Santos, who once worked with Altinger at CCI Thermal, said his former colleague was a "straight shooter" who leads a clean lifestyle.
"He's a good guy, kept to himself most of the time," Santos said. "He had a passion for race-bikes and loves Transformers.
Standing six-foot-three, Altinger weighs about 170 pounds and wears silver-rimmed glasses.
michelle.thompson@sunmedia.ca