Former Ottawa police major crimes investigator Randy Wisker remembers making a 香蕉视频直播渕ad scramble香蕉视频直播� to get to a pay phone in the early morning hours of April 12, 1996, after a fatal stabbing on the Portage Bridge.

Emergency dispatchers had received a call for an ambulance to the bridge between Ottawa and Gatineau, Que., but the person who placed the call didn香蕉视频直播檛 give a name.

Wisker said the phone booth was about 10 blocks from the police station, but when the arrived, the caller was nowhere to be found.

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 right out of a movie. You know, you get to the phone booth and there香蕉视频直播檚 this handset just kind of swinging freely,香蕉视频直播� Wisker said. 香蕉视频直播淎s if somebody just left 10 seconds ago, you know?香蕉视频直播�

At the time, police believed the person who placed the call was responsible for the stabbing death of 22-year-old Christopher Smith.

Wisker, who now does contact investigative work in Ottawa for the Commissionaires and other agencies, said it was the only case he didn香蕉视频直播檛 close as a lead investigator in all his years with the Ottawa Police.

香蕉视频直播淚 had pretty good hope that eventually the DNA would get picked up on,香蕉视频直播� he said.

Police in Ottawa said Monday that they have now identified a suspect in the unsolved murder more than 28 years later.

Police said in a statement that Lawrence Diehl, 73, was taken into custody by Vancouver police on Dec. 10 and returned to Ottawa, where he faces a charge of second-degree murder in the death of Smith.

Ottawa homicide investigators said it香蕉视频直播檚 the first time they香蕉视频直播檝e used 香蕉视频直播渋nvestigative genetic genealogy香蕉视频直播� to identify a suspect using genetic databases to track down 香蕉视频直播減otential family lineages.香蕉视频直播�

Cold case investigators have been working on the case since 2020 with the RCMP and Toronto Police Service, and arrested Diehl with 香蕉视频直播渟ignificant assistance香蕉视频直播� from Vancouver police.

Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs said they香蕉视频直播檝e spoken with the victim香蕉视频直播檚 family, and investigators want to speak with people about Diehl香蕉视频直播檚 time in Ottawa.

The Ottawa Citizen reported days after the stabbing that Smith was involved in a fight on the bridge with an unknown man, and the suspect was believed to have called 911 from a near by pay phone after the stabbing, where police found a 香蕉视频直播渟ubstantial amount of blood.香蕉视频直播�

Wisker said he was 香蕉视频直播減leasantly surprised香蕉视频直播� to hear that an arrest had been made in the case so many years later.

He said police do try to keep cold cases 香蕉视频直播渁live香蕉视频直播� even when there香蕉视频直播檚 not much to go on, 香蕉视频直播渃ontrary香蕉视频直播� to what the public may believe about such investigative efforts.

香蕉视频直播淵ou just never know when something will come in, that香蕉视频直播檚 the whole point,香蕉视频直播� he said.

Wisker said he was told of the arrest in the case only 香蕉视频直播渧ery recently,香蕉视频直播� and that he was 香蕉视频直播渆xtremely impressed with the effort that they put into that to bring it in.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 fantastic when you do get a DNA match, but in order to get to the point where you have a sample to provide the lab, it香蕉视频直播檚 the work it takes to get it there,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 great to have that as a tool in your tool kit, but you still have to do an awful lot of work.香蕉视频直播�

Police departments across the country have turned to gene databases to solve crimes that are decades old by looking up family lineages that lead them to their suspects.