BANFF – A 24-year-old cold case has been re-opened to try to determine the identity of human remains found in Banff National Park in 1998.
On July 11, 1998, a local tour guide located human remains on the backside of Sulphur Mountain via Cosmic Ray Road, and despite an investigation that has spanned almost 25 years, the remains of the man have yet to be identified.
Corporal Natalie Rice of the Banff RCMP detachment said there are not any known outstanding missing person’s cases that match this particular case and she hopes any leads could help provide closure for family members who never knew what happened to a loved one.
“There are no more real leads, but you just never know what reaches someone and what somebody may know,” she said.
“It’s closure … If somebody can relate to this story at all, it’s just a matter of providing DNA and we can cross reference to rule if it’s a family member or not.”
DNA was obtained from the man’s remains and has been uploaded into the National DNA Data Bank. Potential missing person’s files have also been cross referenced and ruled out by either DNA and/or dental records.
A summary of the medical examiner forensic anthropologist’s report indicates the deceased is an adult male in the age range of 19-35 years old, but is likely closer to 25 years old. He was 5’10” tall, Caucasian and possibly in the early stages of rickets.
The forensic report indicated the time of his death was more than two years prior to 1998.
In the area where the man’s remains were found, there were also several items located, including keys with a War Amps key tag, pictures and wallet.
Specifically, the description of items includes a Chrysler key (1970s-80s, no vehicle was recovered); T.B. Vets tag with the Arms of B.C. (records are not kept prior to 1997); black leather wallet with the word “Amity” in gold letters; pictures enclosed in the wallet; and faint markings on the reverse side of the second partial photo contained the address “524 6 ieme ave Nord, St-Antoine, J7Z-5H9.”
Cpl. Rice said she had extra time during the COVID-19 pandemic to take a look at some unsolved cases.
She said she had a lab take another look at the items found to see if anything else could be unearthed.
“I personally am interested in cold case files, and Banff had some that hadn’t been reviewed in a while, so I thought I would put a new set of eyes on some files and that included this one,” she said.
Cpl. Rice said cold cases can and do get solved.
“It happens and we’ve got nothing to lose at this point,” she said.
“There’s DNA and dental on record so it’s very solvable because of those two factors.”
Police say it does not appear the man died under suspicious circumstances, but the cause of death is unknown.
“There was no evidence in support or to make us believe that it’s homicide or anything like that based on the remains found,” said Cpl. Rice.
Two composite sketches have been done – in 2001 and 2018 – in an effort to show what the man may have looked like.
If you have any information in relation to the identification of this man, please contact Banff RCMP at 403-763-6600 or your local police.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the P3 Tips app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.
