Remains Found in Niagara Falls Demolition Identified as Woman Missing Since 1990s
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Investigators have identified Brenda Marie LeBlanc as the victim found inside a vacant Stanley Avenue home, sparking a homicide investigation into a decades-old cold case.
Human remains discovered during a November 2023 demolition in Niagara Falls, Ont., have been identified as Brenda Marie LeBlanc, according to reporting from CityNews Toronto.
LeBlanc, born in 1963, vanished more than two decades ago. She had lived in St. Catharines and Niagara Falls during the 1990s and was originally from New Brunswick, N.B. The remains were found inside a vacant property located at 7081 Stanley Avenue, which had served as a multi-unit rental residence from the late 1970s until approximately 2018. CityNews Toronto reports that the building had been empty for years and was frequently used by unhoused individuals through unlawful entry prior to its demolition.
Forensic and anthropological examinations indicated the remains had likely been at the site since the mid-1990s. After nearly two years of unsuccessful identification efforts, the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) Homicide Unit utilized Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) in 2025. This process involved collaboration with Othram Laboratories in Texas, the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, and the Toronto Police Service to confirm LeBlanc's identity.
While the NRPS is now investigating the death as a homicide, police stated they have not yet determined how LeBlanc ended up at the property or what her connection to the residence was. CityNews Toronto notes that the property owners have cooperated fully with the investigation. Detectives are now appealing to the public for information regarding LeBlanc's associates or movements in the 1990s to help solve the case.