2006 Cold Case — Unidentified Female, Clarington

Durham Regional Crime Stoppers is asking for help solving a cold case from 2006. On October 27, 2006, the remains of a female were discovered in a field near South Service Road and Holt Road, in Clarington.

Forensic investigators determined the woman was likely between 18 and 25 years of age. It was originally thought that the victim was either Caucasian or of Indigenous descent. The Durham Regional Police Service reached out to the DNA Doe Project, and genetic genealogy suggests the woman is of African and South-East Asian descent.

Although her remains were not found until 2006, it is estimated that she could have died anytime between 1980 and 2004. She had prominent upper teeth and there was evidence of recent nasal surgery. Found with the body was a woman’s digital Omni watch with a stainless-steel band, sold exclusively at Consumers Distributing from 1981 to 1983.

Also found near the remains was a size 9½ gold ring with a garnet between two one-point diamonds. The word “Burns” was stamped inside; the ring is believed to have been sold by Burns Jewelers, a family-run business on Simcoe Street in Oshawa from 1923 to 1994, and made by A&A Manufacturing in Toronto.

If you have any information about this case or know who is responsible, please call Crime Stoppers.

A sketch of the unidentified woman, provided by the DNA Doe Project, along with photographs of the evidence described above, will be added to this case profile once the original image files are supplied by the Board (see migration note in the technical specification).