Human Remains

Canadian authorities have identified human remains in a Canadian Well as 143 years old. 

Authorities have identified the bones to belong to the body of Alice Spence, born in 1881 and coming to Canada from Minnesota in 1931. The bones were found in a barrel in an old, abandoned well. The spot of the well was by an abandoned property of an old hotel. Foul play is being investigated with signs of struggle being found.

Investigators are saying that she had been partially dismembered, and wrapped in a burlap sack, in a barrel and thrown into a well. Police have announced that the circumstances are more than suspicious. Genetic Genealogy has been used as an important component, as used to help identify the body. 

Alice Spence was found to be wed to Charles Spence, and they had a daughter together. Idella Spence. Alice’s listing in an 1916 census was the last piece of proof of life investigators and historians have found so far. Their family home in Sutherland was lost to a fire in 1916, which is leading investigators to believe that her death was sometime between the two events. Somewhere between 1916 and 1918, Alice passed away. 

“It is a very up and coming method which can effectively be used.” Jeanette Bridget, Biology Teacher for NHS says. ”We have these things like Ancestry. Com and other means of identifying people and kin in the line of your ancestry.” 

This method of comparative genealogy and modern technology is a modern way to effectively investigate murders, missing persons cases and assaults. Genetic genealogy allows investigators to  investigative matters in which otherwise would be hard to. Days of forensic artistry for perpetrators, comparative fingerprints for victims and forensic analysis can be now used with genetic genealogy to solve crimes with more precise measurements and faster processing in solving and identifying suspects and victims. 

Cases like: The Golden State Killer case, The Boy In the Box case, the Christine Jessop case and Terri McAdams murder, all between the times of 1950 t0 1980. These cases, which have gone long unsolved have new information added to the file, which could help get justice for the victim and their families. It is a very hopeful and helpful method and the future holds more insight into the bounds of genetic genealogy. 

Since the identification of Alice, it has been announced as the oldest case in Canada to be solved with the assistance of investigative genetic genealogy, which has led many to believe that this could be a pivotal tool in forensic science communities, especially for police cases.