Vancouver suspect in 1996 cold case homicide identified through DNA analysis
The revelation of a breakthrough in a cold case homicide investigation from 1996 has left retired Ottawa police investigator Randy Wisker astonished. The case involved the fatal stabbing of 22-year-old Christopher Smith on the Portage Bridge between Ottawa and Gatineau. Despite all leads drying up years ago, modern DNA analysis recently identified a suspect, 73-year-old Lawrence Diehl of Vancouver.
Diehl, a retired engineer and former president of B.C. Soccer, was taken into custody by Vancouver police and charged with second-degree murder. The allegation against him has yet to be tested in court. According to Wisker, investigators believed that the unidentified person who called 911 after Smith was stabbed was also his killer. The call was traced to a payphone on Elgin Street in Ottawa, where blood and a dangling handset were found.
The case remained unsolved until 2020 when Ottawa police reopened it with the hope of utilizing new forensic DNA analysis techniques. DNA evidence from the crime scene was sent to Othram Inc., a Texas-based company specializing in forensic genome sequencing. The suspect’s DNA profile was uploaded to public ancestry databases, GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA, allowing law enforcement access to potential relatives of the suspect.
Genetic genealogists from the Toronto Police Service cold case unit then worked tirelessly to build a family tree of the suspect, ultimately leading to the identification of Diehl. Ottawa police are now urging anyone with information on Diehl’s whereabouts in 1996 to come forward. Diehl’s LinkedIn profile indicates that he worked as a meteorologist at Environment Canada and held various engineering and management positions. He was also a prominent figure in the soccer community, serving as president of B.C. Soccer and director of Canada Soccer.
Diehl’s next court appearance in Ottawa is scheduled for January 8th. The case serves as a reminder of the power of modern forensic techniques in solving long-dormant cases. The reinvigorated investigation highlights the dedication of law enforcement agencies in pursuing justice for victims and their families, even decades after the crime occurred.
