Human remains found in northern Ont. in 2010 identified through DNA test advances

The body of a man found in northern Ontario in 2010 has finally been identified using advanced DNA testing, police say.

Officers were called to Lac Clair Road north of Highway 17 in West Nipissing after human remains were found by a member of the public Sept. 2, 2010, Ontario Provincial Police said in a news release Thursday morning.

"The postmortem examination found no signs of foul play, but the man had no ID and could not be identified," OPP said.

"Missing person reports and fingerprint records were checked across Canada and the United States and details were also released to the media. Other public appeals included releasing a facial reconstruction of the individual."

In 2023, a collaborative effort involving investigative genetic genealogy testing – or forensic genealogy – and whole genome sequencing produced a match to a person listed on a family DNA tree.

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"These results were then confirmed by additional family DNA testing by the (Office of the Chief Coroner) and (Ontario Forensic Pathology Service)," OPP said.

Testing confirmed the body found in 2010 belonged to a man born in 1964 who had been living in the Windsor area prior to his death in northeastern Ontario.

The family has been contacted by both investigators and victim services.

His name is not being released by police out of respect for the family's wishes.

"The OPP, OCC and OFPS will continue to utilize this technology to review other historical cases of unidentified human remains," police said.