Niagara police say they’ve confirmed the identity of human remains found in August in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., as a Toronto man who was reported missing in 2022 and that his death was determined to be a homicide.

The Niagara Regional Police Service homicide unit says the remains were found on Aug. 31 at approximately 2 p.m. Officers responded to an unidentified human remains call in an area near Read Road and the shore of Lake Ontario.

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Police determined a human skull had been discovered, prompting police to secure the area and detectives to take over the investigation with support from the NRPS forensic services unit.

A few days later on Sept. 3, full skeletal remains were recovered and detectives began work with the coroner’s office and Ontario Forensic Pathology Service to try to make an identification.

Detectives originally stated they believed the incident occurred between late 2021 and the spring of 2025. They also said the description of the victim did not match any known missing persons in the Niagara Region.

On Wednesday, detectives said a 24-year-old Black man had been identified, but they will not be releasing his identity at the request of his family.

Police say the man had been reported missing and last seen in May 2022.

The investigation is ongoing and police are asking anyone with information to call 905-688-4111, option 3, extension 1009417. Anonymous reports can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers.

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