Ottawa Police Identify Vancouver Stabbing Suspect Using 1996 DNA
Ottawa police have linked a 1996 murder to a suspect arrested in Vancouver, using DNA evidence to make the identification.
Ottawa, Vancouver, Canada, Lawrence Diehl, Christopher Smith, DNA Evidence
Ottawa: So, here’s the scoop. Police in Ottawa have finally cracked a cold case from 1996. They used DNA evidence to identify a suspect in a stabbing that happened on the Portage Bridge.
They arrested a 73-year-old guy named Lawrence Diehl in Vancouver last week. He’s now facing charges for the second-degree murder of Christopher Smith, who was killed back in April 1996.
This is pretty groundbreaking stuff! Ottawa’s homicide team teamed up with the RCMP and Toronto Police to work on this case since 2020. They used something called “investigative genetic genealogy” to trace family lines and find Diehl.
Police Chief Eric Stubbs mentioned they’ve been in touch with Smith’s family and are eager to gather more info about Diehl’s time in Ottawa.
Back when the stabbing happened, reports said Smith got into a fight with an unknown man on the bridge. After the incident, the suspect even called 911 from a nearby pay phone. They found a lot of blood at the scene.
This whole story was first reported by The Canadian Press on December 16, 2024. It’s a big step forward in solving a case that’s been hanging around for decades!