Disturbing 2013 Investigation Unveils New Clues and Police Seek Help from Public

New information on a case that dates back to July 21, 2013 when Niagara Regional Police were called to the Niagara River Parkway south of East West Line in Niagara on the Lake for reports of a body in the water.

The remains were brought to shore and an investigation started although the remains were in an advanced state of decomposition and it was not possible to determine sex or possible age of the individual at the scene.

On July 22 a post mortem was conducted at the Hamilton General Hospital.  It was believed that due to the advanced stage of decomposition the deceased had been in the water for a long period of time. The exact cause of death and the sex of the individual remained unknown.

Investigators compared a number of on file missing person’s cases in Canada and the United States with no results.

In September of 2013 with the assistance of scientists from the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto a DNA analysis determined that the deceased was a male.  The DNA profile was uploaded to a DNA database for future comparisons.

With all investigative avenues exhausted the police investigation was suspended pending new information.

In November of 2013 when police investigators were unable to identify the deceased, the Coroner’s office requested the remains be sent to the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service to conduct an anthropological analysis in order to create a biological profile of the individual.

The remains of the deceased were examined by a Forensic Anthropologist.  The anthropological examination lead to further descriptive information about the deceased.

– the ancestry was estimated as African with possibly some European
– the age at death was estimated to be 40-60 years
– the living height was calculated to be between 5’5′ to 5’11”
– the advanced decomposition prevented an estimation of living weight
– the deceased was found to have dental fillings
– teeth discoloration suggested he was a smoker
– the deceased was believed to be in the water for at least one year, possibly 2-3 years
In conjunction with the anthropological examination, Ontario Provincial Police Forensic Artist Constable Duncan Way was able to develop a facial approximation.