The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said on Wednesday that the remains found on the farm outside Toffield are the remains of Sanderson, a 26-year-old aboriginal from Manitoba who has been living in Edmonton. .

“His family and friends call him Gordie. Gordie has a difficult life. He was separated from his family at the age of nine during the scoop in the 1960s and was fostered,” the staff sergeant. Jason Zazurak of the Serious Crime Squad of the Royal Alberta Mounted Police said at a virtual press conference.

“He was a resident of Edmonton in the 1970s, and the last time he heard the news when his family met his brother Arthur in Calgary. Unfortunately, Gordy did not attend that meeting.”

The police said that the investigation into the murder case is still ongoing.

After the incident, the police again began investigating the cause of death Golden State Killer He was arrested in 2018 after comparing the DNA evidence at the crime scene with information on a genealogy website that traced his ancestors.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police submitted Sanderson’s DNA to Othram Inc., a private laboratory in Texas.

Othram focuses on the recovery and analysis of human DNA from degraded or contaminated forensic evidence.It also does genealogy research for police agencies in Canada and the U.S. It first made headlines in Canada Identify the murderer of 9-year-old Christine Jessop in 1984He was kidnapped from Queensville, Ontario.

The police stated that they confirmed Sanderson’s identity in January 2021, and the case has since become an active homicide investigation.

Sanderson was nicknamed Septic Tank Sam by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after he was found in a septic tank on a farm owned by Mavis and Charlie McLeod on April 13, 1977. The two have now passed away.

Their son Greg McLeod was 15 years old when Sanderson’s body was found, he told Fifth Manor Before this week, he didn’t know any details about Sanderson’s death.

“What a sad story, because Dad never told…I don’t know any details.”

McLeod said he was happy that Sanderson’s family finally had some answers.

“This is good for everyone. I mean, what happened is still sad. I can’t believe it.”

David Mittelman, Othram’s geneticist and chief executive officer, said helping to confirm Sanderson’s identity was “very gratifying.”

“Learning that his sister is still alive is also very exciting, so she can get answers about what happened to her brother in her lifetime.”

Mittelman’s company started handling the case about a year ago. He said that although they have dealt with hundreds of cold cases, seeing Sanderson’s photos still hit him hard.

“It’s sad to look at the photos…he is a young guy…his life was interrupted,” Mittman said.

“I’m glad they shared this photo because it reminds you again that these are not statistics and scientific data points. They are real people with real stories behind them.”

There is an older sister and a daughter behind Sanderson.

If there are unidentified human remains from your town or city living with you, please send an email [email protected].