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Partial human remains found in swamp land near North Bay five decades ago belong to an Uxbridge, Ont., First World War veteran, police say.
North Bay police said the remains are those of Claude Hamilton Brownscombe, who was born on Oct. 24, 1896. Police said Thursday it used genetic genealogy to bring closure to the investigation, which began after the remains were discovered in June 1975.
At that time, summer students employed by the Ministry of the Environment found a partial human skull in a swamp land off Highway 11 North, behind a former missile base.
Investigators tried for years to identify the remains, but it wasn’t until 2023, when they used genetic genealogy, that the pieces started to fall into place.
“Advances in this area of forensic sciences have created new opportunities to revisit historic investigations and examine evidence in ways that were not possible many years ago,” Chief Daryl Longworth told reporters at a news conference.
”While technology played an important role in this identification, this outcome was made possible through the continued efforts of our general investigation section and their commitment to revisiting a case that remained unsolved for more than five decades.”
Investigators were able to identify family connections and developed a family tree based on Brownscombe’s DNA. That ultimately led to the discovery of a married couple whose family history revealed the death and burial locations of their children – except for one son – Det. Const. Shawn Hofmann said.
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Police interviewed two of Brownscombe’s surviving family members – a great-nephew and a great-niece. Both provided DNA samples, which confirmed the match.
Military records showed Brownscombe was living in Toronto in 1917 when at 22, he enlisted with the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force. He went on to serve overseas and was discharged in 1919.
The records described him as standing five feet two inches tall, and as having blue eyes and brown hair.
Newspaper articles showed Brownscombe was living in Timmins, Ont., as early as 1928.
“He worked at the McIntyre Mine and participated in community activities, including local bowling leagues,” Hofmann said.
The great-nephew recalled seeing him in 1953 and said Brownscombe was living a quiet life in a northern Ontario cabin.
He was on voting lists in 1949 and 1957, but police did not find any records confirming his death, Hofmann said.
Investigators are not sure how he ended up in North Bay from Timmins. Examiners in 1975 determined Brownscombe had been dead for one or two years before his partial remains were found.
With the limited information police have, investigators are unable to determine a cause of death, but foul play is not suspected, Insp. Scott McFarlane said.
“We recognize that today’s announcement may bring renewed emotions for some who are still missed their loved one. Please know that you are not forgotten,” he said.
“Every investigation deserves our continued attention and we will continue to work to bring answers and closures to the families whenever possible.”
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