Montreal police say they have solved the 2008 killing of Catherine Daviau using genetic genealogy to identify the suspect.
At a press conference Tuesday, Cmdr. Mélanie Dupont of the Montreal police major crimes unit said Daviau, 26, was found dead in her Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie apartment in December 2008. Police now say Jacques Bolduc was responsible for her death.
Bolduc died of natural causes in 2021 at the Archambault Institution, a federal prison where he was serving a sentence for two robberies and two attempted murders.
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Authorities say Bolduc had only contacted Daviau a few days before her death. The contact was made after she posted a vehicle for sale on an online classifieds website.
Investigators said they used genetic genealogy to identify him in late 2024. The technique involves cross-referencing DNA evidence with genealogical databases to construct family trees and identify potential suspects.
Bolduc attempted to set fire to the apartment in an effort to destroy evidence, according to police, but DNA traces were preserved and later analyzed.
–with files from The Canadian Press
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