OPP identify body of man found in Ottawa River more than six years ago

Wendover is situated about 50 kilometres east of Ottawa. A man whose remains were found there along the Ottawa River on April 18, 2017 has now been identified.

Ontario Provincial Police say advances in DNA testing helped identify a man whose remains were found along the Ottawa River east of Ottawa, more than six years ago.

On April 18, 2017, a body was found along the river in Wendover, about 50 kilometres east of Ottawa. An autopsy confirmed the cause of death to be drowning, but his identify could not be determined, according to the OPP.

In 2017, police appealed to the public for help identifying the victim, including releasing details and images of the man's clothing.

Size 11, black "Airwalk" running shoes, with a distinctive fluorescent yellow/green sole and tongue - worn by the man found dead along the shore of the Ottawa River in Wendover, Ont. (OPP)

On Thursday, the OPP said advanced DNA testing helped identify the man.

"The testing has revealed that the body is that of a male, born in 1966," the OPP said in a media release. "He had been living on the streets of Ottawa prior to his death and had no fixed address."

Police say since the man's death did not involve foul play, the name of the victim will not be released.

The OPP, in conjunction with the Office of the Chief Coroner, Ontario Forensic Pathology Service and the Ministry of the attorney General have begun to use Investigative Genetic Genealogy testing or Forensic Genealogy to help resolve cases.

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