Patrick Santos was murdered in 2006. The suspect in his case is now charged with first-degree murder. Credit: Othram
On Sept. 17, 2006, 21-year-old Patrick Santos was found murdered outside his home in Toronto. Officers with the Toronto Police Service responded to a call at a home located on Bridlington Street in the area of Ellesmere and Bellamy Roads.
Investigators learned that Santos's father discovered his body at about 7:20 a.m. on the back patio of the family's home. Santo's wrists and ankles had been bound with plastic cable ties and duct tape had been wrapped around his face and head. The tape that was wrapped around his head caused Santos to suffocate. The last known contact anyone had with Santos was early in the morning when he spoke to his girlfriend over the phone.
An STR DNA profile was developed from evidence collected at the crime scene. The profile was entered into Canada's National DNA Data Bank (NDDB); however, there was no match to a known individual. Despite extensive investigative efforts and the development of initial leads, the case eventually went cold. Investigators continued to search for those responsible for Santos's death.
In 2020, investigators with the Toronto Police submitted evidence to Othram. At Othram, scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to develop a comprehensive SNP profile from the evidence. This profile was used in a forensic genetic genealogy search led by the Toronto Police Service. This search provided new investigative leads in the case.
These new leads propelled the case forward with over a decade having passed since Santos was murdered. In 2025, investigators developed a person of interest in the case. A DNA sample collected from the person of interest was compared to the DNA profile developed from original crime scene evidence. This investigation and DNA comparison enabled investigators to identify 43-year-old Pierre O’Connor of Hamilton, as the suspect in the case. O'Connor was arrested and is now charged with first degree murder.
The investigation into the events that led to Santos's murder and the relationship between Santos and O'Connor is underway. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
This is a significant breakthrough in a case that went unsolved for nearly two decades, demonstrating the impact of advanced forensic DNA technology in helping investigators develop new leads and remove uncertainty in long-unsolved cases. This is the 33rd publicly announced case in Ontario, Canada where officials leveraged Othram's identity inference pipeline. Learn about other cases by visiting Othram.com.
Republished courtesy of DNASolves