Human remains found in summer identified by Niagara cops

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Homicide detectives in the Niagara Region said they have confirmed the identity of the human remains found in Niagara-on-the-Lake in August.

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Niagara Regional Police said Tuesday that the victim has been identified as a 24-year-old Black man from Toronto who had been reported missing and was last seen in May 2022.

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His name is not being released, however, at the request of the family.

Officers responded on Aug. 31 at about 2 p.m. to an unidentified remains call in the Read Rd. area near the shore of Lake Ontario in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

The initial investigation determined that a human skull had been discovered.

On Sept. 3, full skeletal remains were recovered from the area. Police said at the time that due to the state of decomposition, investigators were unable to provided further details, but the incident was being treated as suspicious and the homicide unit had taken carriage of the investigation.

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Victim not in Niagara missing persons database

In another update, police said they determined the death was a homicide and efforts to identify the victim continued. Investigators said at the time they believed the incident occurred between late 2021 and the spring of 2025. They added that the probe was particularly complex due to the condition of the remains.

Homicide investigators said they worked closely with the Niagara Regional Police missing persons and unidentified human remains co-ordinator and determined that the description of the victim did not match any known outstanding missing persons within Niagara Region.

This remains an active homicide investigation involving Niagara detectives in collaboration with Toronto Police.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 905-688-4111, dial option 3, ext. 1009417, or Crime Stoppers of Niagara at 1-800-222-8477.

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