Toronto Police and the Ontario Provincial Police believe they have solved three historic murders, and they suspect a deceased Windsor man is behind them.
"Today's announcement represents an important step forward in three tragic and long-standing cases," said Chief Superintendent with the OPP, Karen Gonneau, at a newsconference on Thursday. "Our identification of the offender is the result of years of meticulous work by our investigators and partners."
The murders were between 1982 and 1997, and police used DNA evidence to link the murders to Kenneth Smith, who lived in Windsor until his death in 2019 at the age of 72.
Christine Prince was last seen on June 21, 1982, on a Toronto streetcar. The 25-year-old woman was from Wales and was working in Toronto as a nanny. Her body was found the next day in the Rouge River. Investigators say she had been sexually assaulted and hit on the head. Her cause of death was drowning.
Claire Samson was 23 when she was last seen on September 1, 1983, near Jarvis and Gerrard Streets. Police discovered her body the next day on private property in Oro-Medonte Township. She had been shot twice.
The third woman was 41-year-old Gracelyn Greenidge. A co-worker found her body in her apartment on July 29, 1997, when she didn't show up for her shift as a nursing assistant. Greenidge, originally from Barbados, died of blunt force trauma.
DNA was collected from each scene, but at the time, police could not identify a suspect.
In 2016, DNA from the Prince and Samson homicides were uploaded to the National DNA databank. It matched an unknown male's profile, and the Ontario Provincial Police joined the investigation.
A year later, investigators at the Centre of Forensic Sciences realized the same offender was responsible for Greenidge's death. Unfortunately, the condition of the samples limited progress.
New technology emerged in 2022. Toronto Police were able to identify relatives of the offender, and earlier this month, the Centre for Forensic Sciences was able to confirm Smith's involvement.
Unfortunately, Smith was already dead. If he were alive today, police in Toronto would have charged him in the homicides of Prince and Greenidge, while the OPP would have laid charges in the Samson murder.
Smith was known to the Toronto Police. He lived and worked in Toronto during the time of the murders and had a history of sexual assault.
"While we are pleased to provide answers at last, nothing can erase the grief felt by the families and loved ones of Christine Prince, Claire Samson, and Gracelyn Greenidge," said Gonneau. "What we can do, and will continue to do, is pursue the truth with determination, no matter how much time has passed."
Investigators suspect there may be more victims, and ask anyone with information about Smith to contact them at 416-808-7400, Crime Stoppers at 416-222-8477, or go to www.222tips.com.
