A body found in 1992 on the shores of Lake Ontario has been identified more than 30 years later as a man from Buffalo who apparently went over Niagara Falls and whose body then drifted more than 140 miles.
The remains, which were found in April 1992, were "badly decomposed and mostly skeletal," authorities revealed, and were between six months and five years old. In 1992, attempts were made to identify the remains by comparing them to missing persons cases, but there were no matches.
In 2008, a DNA profile from the remains was uploaded to a national database of DNA profiles, but no leads were generated. In 2022, authorities "renewed efforts" to identify the remains, and a new DNA sample was obtained for comparison. The Niagara Regional Police Service in Ontario also assisted in the process by comparing the remains and their DNA profile to unsolved cases in the area.
Discovering a new DNA sample in February 2024 revealed a familial connection to Vincent C. Stack, a man from Buffalo, New York who went missing in Niagara Falls State Park in 1990. At the time of his disappearance, Stack was 40 years old, as per the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
Familial DNA matching involves comparing a DNA sample with that of a family member, enabling authorities to broaden their search efforts.
Authorities speculate that Stack may have fallen into the falls, leading his remains to travel approximately 15 miles to a river's mouth and eventually drift over 130 miles across Lake Ontario before washing up on the shores of Oswego.
Stack's family has been informed of the identification, as stated by the sheriff's office. Additionally, an investigation into a similar unidentified remains case from 1983 is currently ongoing.
