Identity of Skull Discovered in Newfoundland Revealed After 23-Years in Cold Case

 

Advances in DNA technology have provided a crucial breakthrough for police in Newfoundland and Labrador, allowing them to move forward on a 23-year-old cold case. 

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) announced Wednesday that they had identified the skull found on a back road in Conception Bay South, N.L., in 2001 as belonging to Temistocle Casas.

The case, which has remained unsolved for over two decades, is now being actively investigated as a homicide. 

"Every piece of information is vital and can be valuable, and in this case, that's more true than ever," said Const. James Cadigan, a spokesperson for the RNC. 

"Because so much time has passed since this gentleman's death, every small piece or detail can lead us in a direction."

The identification of Casas came after years of fruitless public pleas for information and a cash reward. 

It was only with the recent advances in DNA testing and matching that a breakthrough was made. 

In 2021, the police force began collaborating with Othram, an American forensic company. 

Othram was able to extract DNA samples and match them with relatives in the GEDmatch database, similar to services like Ancestry.com that connect people with their family lines and ancestry.

This collaboration led to the identification of Casas through a first cousin who connected investigators with immediate family members. 

Casas, originally from Cuba, arrived in Quebec in 1992 on a tourist visa. 

Little is known about his life in Newfoundland and Labrador or the circumstances leading to his death.

The case remains one of the longest-running investigations for the RNC, with the longest gap between discovering a victim and identifying them.

Early attempts to match DNA with relatives only led to a fourth cousin, providing limited information. 

However, police have now identified a woman who had been in contact with Casas, a travel agent named Joanne Bergeron, who is believed to be 68 years old and a "known associate." 

The RNC hopes to speak with her and anyone else with information about Casas.

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