Summary
On September 15, 1992, police officers, firefighters and paramedics responded to a report of an unresponsive man lying on the lawn of a church near Queen Street East and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario. Despite efforts to revive him, the man was pronounced deceased. His death was determined not to be suspicious.
The man carried no identification, and conventional investigative methods were unsuccessful in determining his identity. The case remained unresolved for more than three decades.
In 2025, the case was selected for investigation using investigative genetic genealogy as part of the Toronto Police Service’s Project 31 initiative, named for 31 open Toronto cases involving long-term unidentified deceased individuals who investigators hope to identify using advanced DNA testing and forensic genetic genealogy.
In October 2025, Othram received a DNA extract developed from forensic evidence in the case. Othram scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to develop a comprehensive single nucleotide polymorphism profile for the unidentified man. The resulting SNP profile was returned to the Toronto Police Service for use in a forensic genetic genealogy search. Although the man’s closest genetic relatives were distant, the results suggested that he was from the United Kingdom.
After months of research, the Toronto Police Service’s genealogy team and investigators determined that the unidentified man was likely a man named Derek who had moved from the United Kingdom to Toronto during the 1970s. Using a fingerprint comparison, investigators successfully identified the man. Members of the Toronto Police Service contacted Derek’s family in the United Kingdom and notified them of his identification.
Derek was reported missing by his lawyer in December 1993, approximately 15 months after the unidentified man was found. Investigators did not connect the missing-person investigation to the unidentified man at the time.
Derek’s missing-person case was later closed after investigators were informed that he had died on a particular date. It was subsequently determined that this information resulted from a miscommunication. Derek had been legally declared dead after years of failing to respond to correspondence, but no official record established when or where he had died.
This is the 32nd publicly announced case in Ontario where investigators have used technology developed by Othram to identify an individual. Learn about other cases by visiting Othram’s website.
Dan Miller
Director of Customer Service
Dan guides law enforcement agencies across the United States and internationally through every step of the forensic process—from crime scene to courtroom. He ensures investigators have the support and resources they need to navigate advanced DNA testing and maximize the impact of forensic evidence in their cases.