HAMILTON, Ont. -- Police say DNA testing has helped them crack a cold case involving a Hamilton man who disappeared 30 years ago.
David Nixon was 24 years old when he was reported missing in 1984 but police say it wasn't until last month that remains found in Lake Ontario around that time were identified as his.
Nixon was last seen by a family member on July 6, 1984 (at the corner of King Street West and James Street North) in Hamilton.
The investigation into his disappearance extended to police agencies across Canada and the United States, and was publicized in area media as well.
An unidentified male body was found in Lake Ontario in Toronto's east end in August 1984 but police say information provided about the remains did not match Nixon's description and the remains were buried in an unmarked grave in Toronto.
Hamilton police say they found out last month that the body had been confirmed as being Nixon's after DNA testing that involved comparing evidence from the cold case with DNA samples from Nixon's parents.
Coroner's officials say staff at the Centre of Forensic Sciences who analyzed the DNA found the likelihood that the remains were those of a child of the Nixons was 77 billion times greater than that of a random person.
Police say they are continuing to investigate the circumstances of Nixon's death and the discovery of his remains.
