Toronto police say a dead Ontario man is now believed to be behind at least three long-unsolved killings of women dating back more than 40 years. At a joint news conference Thursday, Toronto police and the Ontario Provincial Police identified Kenneth Smith, who died in Windsor, Ontario, in 2019 at age 72, as the man responsible for the murders of Christine Prince in 1982, Claire Samson in 1983, and Gracelyn Greenidge in 1997, the CBC reports. The cases, which went cold not long after investigations began, were revived after DNA from all three scenes was matched in a national database in 2016 and 2017.
Investigators then turned to investigative genetic genealogy in 2022, which they say allowed them to name Smith as the suspect earlier this month. "The only thing that linked them was the offender's DNA," OPP Chief Supt. Karen Gonneau said. Smith lived in Toronto at the time of each killing and was known to police for past sexual assaults and repeated incarcerations. The three women did not know each other, and Det. Sgt. Steve Smith of the Toronto police described the attacks as "crimes of opportunity." Asked whether Smith qualifies as a serial killer, he said the case involves "more than two murders and not in the same event, so he does meet the criteria." Police believe Smith could be connected to other deaths and urged anyone with information to come forward.
- Prince, 25, a nanny from Wales who had been in Canada for nine months, disappeared after a night out with friends on June 21, 1982. She got off a streetcar near her employer's home, the Toronto Star reports. Her body was found the next day in a river near the Metro Toronto Zoo. Police say she was sexually assaulted and drowned.
- Samson, 23, was last seen entering a car driven by an older white man in downtown Toronto on Sept. 1, 1983; she was found shot to death in a remote, wooded area about 75 miles north of the city.
- Greenidge, 41, was found dead in her Toronto apartment on July 29, 1997. "She died of blunt force trauma. A co-worker discovered her after she failed to report for her shift as a nursing assistant," police said in a news release.
Deputy Chief Robert Johnson of the Toronto police said that if Smith were alive, he would face murder charges in all three cases. "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," Johnson said. "What we can do—and will continue to do—is pursue the truth with determination, no matter how much time has passed. We also encourage anyone who may have information about Kenneth Smith to contact police, as there may be other victims who deserve the same answers."
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