Aerial view of Truro, Nova Scotia — Credit: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0
Dylan Ehler, born April 16, 2017, disappeared on May 6, 2020 at age three from the backyard of his grandmother, Dorothy Parsons, on Elizabeth Street in Truro, Nova Scotia. His mother, Ashley Brown, had dropped him off with Parsons while she went to meet a friend. According to Parsons, Dylan was in the backyard with her pet dog when she turned away briefly to tie the dog to its lead, and when she turned back, he was gone. Parsons has maintained that the boy may have been abducted, though it remains unclear how long he was out of her sight and no suspects were observed at the scene. Dylan's parents, Ashley Brown and Jason Ehler, had reportedly been involved in a domestic dispute around the time of the disappearance involving a broken cell phone, an alleged assault, and a death threat.
Police investigators believed Dylan may have fallen into Lepper Brook, which feeds into the Salmon River, a waterway known for a strong undercurrent. Rubber boots he had been wearing were recovered from the waterway and remain the only items found in connection with his disappearance. Search efforts included underwater cameras, thermal imaging, and tests using a mannequin of similar proportions to Dylan placed in the water. Dylan's parents have criticized the police response, alleging that officers treated the case as a search-and-rescue operation rather than a criminal investigation, did not secure the area, and were slow to issue public alerts.
Following the disappearance, TikTok videos posted by Ashley Brown prior to Dylan's disappearance drew public scrutiny, including one featuring lip-syncing to dark-humored audio referencing hiding a body, set to a parody of a song from Disney's Frozen. Brown has stated the videos were inappropriate but intended as morbid humor unrelated to Dylan, and has denied any wrongdoing. No evidence has emerged that she spoke any such words aloud to her son.
The videos fueled online speculation, including in a Facebook group that grew to over 17,000 members, where users debated the case and made unproven allegations that a family member killed Dylan or was negligent toward him. Halifax lawyer Allison Harris pursued legal action against two administrators of the group under Nova Scotia's Intimate Images and Cyber-protection Act, resulting in settlements reached in mid-2021 that barred the administrators from contacting the family or creating similar online groups. This was described as a landmark cyberbullying case in the province.
In January 2022, Jason Ehler was arrested and charged with fraud related to allegedly using a deceased person's banking information at three financial institutions in the Bible Hill area between November 15 and 23, 2021. Separately, Jason Ehler has advocated for a new public alert system for missing children, termed the "Ehler Alert." Police have not indicated suspicion of foul play in Dylan's disappearance, which remains unresolved.
Dylan Ehler, a 3-year-old boy, vanished from his grandmother's backyard in Truro, Nova Scotia on May 6, 2020. His rubber boots were later found in a nearby waterway, but he was never located. The case drew national attention and sparked a landmark cyberbullying lawsuit after online groups accused his family of involvement.
