Man identified 34 years after body found in Toronto's inner harbour
· Toronto Sun
Police say genetic testing has helped identify an unknown man 34 years after a body was found in Toronto’s inner harbour.
According to police, officers responded on July 27, 1992 to a call for a body found in Lake Ontario. At the time, investigators and the coroner determined that the death was not suspicious.
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Attempts to identify the unknown man were unsuccessful through regular investigative procedures, cops said.
However, this historical case was selected last year to solve using investigative genetic genealogy.
DNA profile obtained
On Jan. 8, a DNA profile of the unidentified man was obtained and uploaded to public-facing databases. Less than five days later, investigators determined that the man could be named Kevin, who was originally from Saskatchewan.
The man’s relatives were located in Western Canada with help from members of the RCMP, and a DNA sample was obtained from a close family member.
Police said, on March 9, DNA testing confirmed that the unknown man is Kevin.
Family notified of genetic match
“His family was notified of the identification and provided with the details of his burial location,” police said in a statement.
“Kevin was not reported missing, but those who loved him had long feared what had happened to him as they had not heard from him in years.”
This is the 10th person identified from Toronto Police’s humanitarian initiative Project 31, which began in the summer of 2022. It was named for the number of open cases involving historic unidentified deceased individuals for whom DNA material is still available.
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Last June, investigators revealed genetic testing helped solve the identity of a man from Quebec whose lifeless body was found in a downtown field near Lake Shore Blvd. and Spadina Ave. on Aug. 23, 1996.
Police said the goal of Project 31 is to identify all 31 people through the vigorous use of DNA-based investigative techniques, including investigative genetic genealogy.
Police also said solving the case was made possible through a grant provided by the province’s Ministry of the Solicitor General. It was also assisted by the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, Othram and the Centre of Forensic Sciences.