Dismembered head found 36 years ago in Ontario river. Now, police know who he is

globalnews.ca:

Peterborough police say they finally have a breakthrough.The homicide of the Otonabee River man – revealed on Wednesday to be Gerald Durocher – has mystified investigators ever since the grisly discovery was made by members of a recreational dive club more than three decades ago.It was on July 10, 1988, when the divers took to those waters in Peterborough and found a human head at the bottom of the river some 130 feet from shore.Shortly after the discovery, which was made near Lock and McKellar streets, police launched an extensive air and underwater search to locate the rest of the body. However, to this day, it was never found.On its website, police said that through investigation at the time, they determined the head belonged to a man roughly between 40 to 74 years of age.“Some lower molars were missing and had been lost well prior to death.

Staining on remaining teeth indicates that this man was a smoker,” police said on its cold case webpage.“There is no evidence of dental care. He may have been bald or partially bald at the time of death.

A small amount of facial hair is inconclusive about the possibility of a beard. Colouration suggests his hair and beard may have been dark coloured.”Investigators determined his head was dismembered, and considered the case a homicide.Police said at the time, there were no outstanding cases of missing men in the city, which suggests the head may have been brought to the area from elsewhere.

Police still do not know how long the head was in the river, or when the man was killed.On Wednesday, police identified the victim as Durocher, a 38-year-old man who was born in November 1949. Investigators believe Durocher had connections throughout Ontario, including Ottawa, as well as the