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Several months later, Barrie police would make a grim discovery: Robinson and another man from the camp, David “Kyle” Cheesequay, 41, had been brutally murdered, their bodies found dismembered.

In August, they had conducted extensive searches of the large, wooded encampment known as Flat Rock, a rural property in Huntsville, and a home in North Simcoe County. Human remains were recovered and sent to ɫɫ�� for forensic analysis.

Investigators were able to link the killings to Robert Ladouceur, 52, charging him with first- and second-degree murders in a case that has stunned Barrie residents and left dozens of people displaced from one of the city’s largest homeless encampments.

Ladouceur, who went by the name “Tattoo Rob,” also lived at the camp, according to police. He faces a total of 33 charges, including several drug, gun and theft offences related to cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine.

He was arrested in Midland, north of Barrie, on Aug. 2 and remains in custody. The allegations against him have not been proven in court.

Investigators have remained relatively tight-lipped about the probe, declining to share any details about the motive or the killings. 

At a press conference on Tuesday, police addressed concerns circulating in the community, saying the double homicide appears to be an isolated incident and that they are not looking for additional victims or suspects.

According to court records, Robinson was killed the same day he was reported missing in mid-January. His body was dismembered sometime between then and Feb. 8. Cheesequay was murdered on July 28 and dismembered between that day and Aug. 2, the records show.

‘He thought he was pretty invincible’

Back in January, Jacobs began hearing unconfirmed rumours about what might have happened to her friend Robinson, a tall, barrel-chested man with a quiet demeanour. She hoped they weren’t true.

“I didn’t know what his demise was, but I didn’t think he was (murdered),” she said. “All I can say is that he definitely didn’t see this coming, because he was not an easy man to take down, that’s for sure.”

Jacobs, 45, had known Robinson since they were four years old. He was a “tough guy,” known to be “a bit of a scrapper,” she said. He spent much of his adult life working in construction. He enjoyed riding motorcycles and the outdoors, especially fishing. And he lacked fear, which often resulted in him getting hurt, Jacobs said.

“He did a lot of dumb things,” she said, citing the time he latched onto the back of a car while riding his bike or jumped out of a moving vehicle. “He thought he was pretty invincible.”

But there was also a different side to him. He had a criminal history of offences, including assault with a weapon, and he’d battled a drug addiction that formed in his teen years. Despite periods of sobriety and stability, he ended up on the streets.

Sean Joynt says he used to live next to Robinson at the encampment, describing him as a friendly but reserved neighbour. Cheesequay, his longtime friend, was situated at the other. Now in California and sober, Joynt said he and Cheesequay became friends through skateboarding in their early 20s.

‘It ain’t easy being cheezey’

Cheesequay and his family moved to Barrie from British Columbia in the late 2000s, Joynt explained, describing him and his brother as “phenomenal skateboarders.” Joynt said he and Cheesquay grew up making skateboard videos and hanging out but grew distant as they struggled with substance abuse.

They reconnected on the streets in 2023. “He always had a smile on his face,” Joynt said. “You could always count on him to be there for you.”

Anyone at Queen’s Skatepark will tell you Cheesequay is a local legend, regulars there say. It’s why graffiti created in his name now covers the ramps, including street art devoted to his iconic catchphrase: “It ain’t easy being cheezey.”

Reager Graves grew up watching the 41-year-old at the Barrie skate park, he said, seated beside his brother on the deck, both shirtless in the broiling heat. Cheesequay was a skilled skater who pulled off unbelievable tricks and enjoyed mentoring the next generation, the brothers said.

He fell on hard times, Graves said, and when his addiction got the best of him, Cheesequay stopped showing up. “He respects the kids here. More than his addiction,” he said.

Dan Bokma, manager of the skateboard shop Souldiers Barrie, can still hear Cheesequay’s “infectious laugh,” just thinking about it. The pair knew each other for decades.

Even the world’s best skateboarders fall regularly, but with Cheesequay, “it was nuts,” he said — you rarely saw him fall. He easily could have gone professional, but unlike many top skateboarders, he never took the sport too seriously, Bokma said.

He recalled a 2012 contest at Canada’s Wonderland, where Cheesequay placed 24th out of 55 North American skaters, including some of the world’s best.

“That would be one of my favourite memories,” Bokma said, “because he was there more or less for fun and he still did so well.”

At Tuesday’s press conference, Sgt. Brett Carleton said the murders were not random; the accused and victims knew one another and all lived at the camp at one point. 

According to Joynt, Ladouceur allegedly dealt drugs in the camp. “He had a good reputation that you don’t mess with him,” he said. 

Dozens displaced as police investigate

The site where the men were said to be living housed some 45 people prior to it being evacuated earlier this month, according to Sara Peddle, head of the Busby Centre, which supports those experiencing or at risk of homelessness. She said some were relocated to a temporary shelter or evacuation centre, while others found space elsewhere in the city.

“It’s just devastating,” she said, noting some residents lived there for up to six years. “There is a lot of hurt and trauma” from both the loss of life and losing the space they’ve called home, Peddle added.

The camp is in a wooded area along Victoria, Anne, and John Streets, and it circles a small body of water. It was shut down after the province’s Environment Ministry , some of which was deemed hazardous. This was done “to mitigate the potential environmental risks” to the nearby wellhead, creek and lake, ministry spokesperson Gary Wheeler said in a statement.

The order was issued on Aug. 8, and the work is to be completed by Oct. 31. The city is responsible for the cleanup, which a spokesperson said is expected to cost in the millions.

Those who have visited or lived at the site described the community as somewhat self-sufficient, with a handful of individuals living in custom-built cabins with wood-burning stoves, generators and insulation.

When Joynt lived there last year, he estimates there were anywhere between 15 to 20 tents scattered along the grounds, as well as an outhouse with a septic tank system. When the site was maintained, it worked well, “but over time, the garbage got pretty bad, and we would clean it up periodically,” he said.

“It was hard to keep up with that, especially when drugs were the main priority.”

Joynt, who is originally from California, says he moved there for treatment in November. “I’ll be nine months sober tomorrow, actually,” he said last Thursday.

He still has friends in Barrie and regularly speaks to Cheesequay’s mother. She was the one who broke the news about his death.

“I was with Kyle and Blake almost every day, so if I was still down there, there’s no doubt in my mind, it could have been me easily. It could have been anyone,” he said.

“When you’re down there, you don’t really think about those risks. You’re just trying to live life and survive; you’re doing stuff that puts you in danger all the time.”