Three Cold Cases Solved Using Genetic Genealogy
Three homicide cold cases have been linked to one man.
On December 3, the Centre of Forensic Sciences conclusively identified Kenneth Smith as the offender in the murders of three women – Christine Prince in 1982, Claire Samson in 1983 and Gracelyn Greenidge in 1997.
“If he were alive today, the Toronto Police Service would arrest Kenneth Smith for the homicides of Christine Prince and Gracelyn Greenidge and the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) would arrest him for the homicide of Claire Samson,” Deputy Chief Rob Johnson said at a news conference at police headquarters on December 11.
Smith died in 2019 in Windsor at age 72.
“His death means he will never be held to account in a court of law, and we recognize the impact that has on families who have waited so long for justice.”
Prince, a 25-year-old woman from Wales, was living in Toronto and working as a nanny. On June 21, 1982, she was last seen riding a streetcar along St. Clair Ave. W. after a night out with friends that included visiting a coffee shop and seeing a movie. Her body was found the next day in the Rouge River.
“For Christine’s family and for the families of Claire and Gracelyn, the wait for answers has been extraordinarily long,” said Johnson. “It is only through sustained collaboration and advances in forensic science that we have arrived at this moment. I want to thank the many people who made this breakthrough possible, our investigators past and present, the dedicated members of the Centre of Forensic Sciences and the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service and our partners at the OPP. Their determination over so many years reflects what it truly means to serve victims and their families. These women were never forgotten. And it is because of the commitment of so many that we are able to give their loved ones at last one crucial answer today.”
On July 29, 1997, Greenidge – who migrated from Barbados – was found murdered in her Driftwood Ave. apartment after she didn’t report for her shift as a nursing assistant. A co-worker went to check on her and made the heartbreaking discovery.
Police notified the family today that they identified the suspect responsible for her death 27 years ago.
In 2016, a genetic link connected the homicides of Prince and Samson to one unknown male offender.
“The next year, the Centre of Forensic Sciences determined that the same unknown male was responsible for all three homicides,” said Homicide and Missing Persons Unit Cold Case Section Detective Sergeant Steve Smith. “Even then, however, the state of the samples and the technology available at the time limited how far we could advance the case. In 2022, we engaged Othram, a forensic genetic genealogy company to apply emerging technologies to this investigation. In 2025, through that work, TPS investigators were able to identify close familial relatives of the offender.”
With that information, the Centre of Forensic Sciences conducted the final comparison that led to the conclusive identification of Kenneth Smith.
“We know that Smith lived and worked across Toronto during the period of all three murders,” said Smith. “He was known to police and had a history of sexual assault. Based on the evidence we have today, we believe it is possible the there may be additional victims who have never been identified. For that reason, we are asking anyone who may have information about Kenneth Smith to contact police. Even details that may seem small could help us better understand the full extent of his actions.”
Chief Superintendent Karen Gonneau of the OPP thanked TPS and OPP past and present investigators for their unwavering dedication and hard work that resulted in the offender’s identification.
“While we are here to discuss three historic cases, I want to remind everyone that behind each of these cases are families and loved ones who have waited for decades for answers,” she noted. “Many of them likely believed those answers would never come. Yet, here we are today, thanks to the relentless dedication of investigators who never gave up. For years, they worked these cases, hoping that one day that one crucial tip or advancement in forensics would allow us to stand here and share what we know.”
Gonneau revealed that OPP investigators met this week with the family of Samson who was 23 years at the time of her murder. Her body was found in a remote wooded area in Oro-Medonte, about 120 kilometres north of Toronto. She was last seen outside a hotel on Jarvis St., entering a beige vehicle driven by an older White man.
“She was a family person, remembered by her loved ones as a beautiful soul,” Gonneau said.
