It took almost 30 years but the remains of a male found in the Niagara River have now been identified thanks to advances in DNA testing.
In June 1995, a 46-year-old man from Niagara Falls, N.Y. went missing.
Police in that state searched for him but Canadian authorities were never advised of the missing person.
That month, Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) recovered the remains of a male from the Canadian side of the Niagara River, however they were unaware of the possible connection to New York state and didn’t advise authorities there.
An autopsy was conducted but the remains were never positively identified and the male remained known as “John Doe,” Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) said in a news release issued Thursday.
Twenty-eight years later, in June of 2023, police in Niagara Region said they were contacted by a volunteer missing persons group known as The Doe Network, which suggested a possible match between the unidentified male found in the Niagara River and a missing 46-year-old man from Niagara Falls, N.Y.
“As a result of the new information, further investigation occurred in collaboration with United States authorities and DNA was sought from members of the missing male’s family,” NRPS said in the news release.
In September 2023, suitable DNA was submitted to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s (RCMP) National DNA Databank and profiles were successful uploaded.
Further forensic samples from the unidentified remains were submitted to the RCMP for profiling and comparison over the course of the next year.
After a number of meetings with the Ontario’s chief coroner and deputy chief forensic pathologist, a forensic anthropologist, and members of Ontario Forensic Pathology Services, it was concluded that there was a “strong belief” that the remains could be those of the missing man from New York.
This past summer, the unidentified remains of “John Doe” were positively identified as being that of that missing man.
“The family in this matter has since been notified and have planned to place a headstone on their father’s grave here in Canada,” police said.
The man’s name is not being release at the request of his family.
“This incident sheds light into the continued need for the collaboration and communication between both Canada and the U.S. officials to solve these on-going and historical cases. Families need closure, they want answers, and it ultimately is up to us to provide them with this,” Det. Const. Sara Mummery, NRPS’s Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains Coordinator, said in the release.