Families need closure’: After nearly 30 years, remains of man found in Niagara River identified

More than 29 years after the remains of a man were found in the Niagara River his identity has been positively confirmed.

In June 1995, Niagara Regional Police recovered the remains from the river in Niagara Falls. There was an autopsy, but the man was never positively identified, and he remained known as John Doe.

The cold case stayed unsolved over the following years with no thaw in the case until June 2023, when Det. Const. Sara Mummery, the NRP’s missing persons and unidentified remains co-ordinator, was contacted by DoeNetwork, a non-profit volunteer organization devoted to assisting investigating agencies in bringing closure to national and international cold cases concerning missing and unidentified people.The organization provided a long-sought lead, suggesting a possible match between John Doe and a 46-year-old man from Niagara Falls, N.Y., who went missing about the same time the remains were discovered.

At the time of the man’s disappearance, Canadian officials were not aware of the investigation, and so police here had no way of making a connection.With the lead, the investigation kicked into high gear again, as police here collaborated with authorities in the U.S.

Investigators were able to obtain DNA samples from members of the missing man’s family and submitted them to the RCMP for profiling and comparison.Police said through meetings with the Ontario chief coroner, Ontario deputy chief forensic pathologist, a forensic anthropologist, and members of Ontario Forensic Pathology Service there was a strong belief John Doe could in fact be the missing man.

This summer, the remains were positively identified as belonging to the missing man. The man’s family has been notified, and they are planning to place a headstone on their father’s grave here in Canada, police said.

Police said the family has expressed their appreciation for the commitment of the police and the involved agencies both here and in the United States. The family has, however, requested the man’s name not be disclosed.

In a news release, Mummery said the case highlights the need for co-operation and communication between officials on both sides of the border in such investigations.

“Families need closure, they want answers and it, ultimately, is up to us to provide them with this,” she said.