Credit: Niagara Regional Police Service
The Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) Homicide Unit is seeking the public’s assistance following the identification of human remains discovered during the demolition of a former residential property in Niagara Falls.
In November 2023, human remains were located during the demolition of a vacant home at 7081 Stanley Avenue in Niagara Falls.
The property had been vacant for several years prior to its demolition and had previously operated as a multi-unit rental residence from the late 1970s until approximately 2018. Since 2018 it was frequently unlawfully entered and used by unhoused individuals.
Following the discovery, investigators with the Homicide Unit, working alongside forensic experts, conducted an extensive investigation. A forensic and anthropological examination determined the remains belonged to an adult female and indicated that they had likely been at the property for many years, potentially dating back to the mid-1990s.
Despite exhaustive investigative efforts, the identity of the deceased remained unknown.
In 2025, investigators utilized Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG), an advanced forensic technique that combines DNA analysis with genealogical research to assist in identifying previously unidentified human remains.
Working in collaboration with the Toronto Police Service, the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, and Othram Laboratories in Texas, investigators were able to identify the deceased as Brenda Marie LeBlanc, born in 1963.
Based on the investigation to date and the forensic examination of the remains, the NRPS is investigating Brenda’s death as a homicide.
Investigators have determined that Brenda resided in both Niagara Falls and St. Catharines during the 1990s, when she was in her 30’s, and was originally from New Brunswick. At this time, investigators have not established how Brenda came to be at the Stanley Avenue property, and her connection to the residence remains unknown.
The owners of the property have been cooperative throughout the investigation.
Although decades have passed, investigators believe that there are individuals who may have known Brenda or have information that could assist in determining the circumstances surrounding her death.
Detectives are asking anyone who knew Brenda LeBlanc during the 1990s, or anyone with information about her associates, whereabouts, or activities during that time, to contact the NRPS Homicide Unit Hotline at (289) 248-1058.
Republished courtesy of Niagara Regional Police Service