On Dec. 11th, Peterborough Police Service (PPS) hosted a media conference for a “significant update” to a cold case from 1988, commonly called the ‘Otonabee River Man.’ New technologies have allowed PPS to revisit the case and identify the victim as Gerald Durocher.
Recreational divers discovered a skull in the Otonabee River in the summer of 1988. Until now, there was very little known about the victim except his approximate age and that he was the victim of a homicide.
In 2021, PPS sent the remains to Texas-based company, Othram, for DNA testing. They were able to identify living relatives and positively identified the victim as 38-year-old Durocher.
PPS is actively searching for information about Durocher’s life in the time leading up to his death.
Information about Durocher’s life, and how to contribute to the investigation, can be found on the PPS website.
