Police in Ontario using new technology to help solve 1998 slaying

TORONTO – Police in a northern Ontario city have turned to an emerging technology to try and solve a 19-year-old homicide.

The slaying of Renee Sweeney has stymied police in Sudbury, Ont., since 1998, when she was repeatedly stabbed behind the counter of the adults-only video store where she worked.

READ MORE: Cold Case Files: Toronto mother still searching for answers 10 years after son’s murder

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Evidence in the case included multiple DNA samples, fingerprints and three witnesses, but the killer has not been identified to this day.

Now, Sudbury police have turned to DNA phenotyping, an increasingly popular technology among American law enforcement departments, to solve the case.

READ MORE: Cold Case Files: Family seeks closure after 7-year-old girl goes missing 42 years ago

Phenotyping involves using a DNA profile to extract specific information about a suspect, such as ethnic makeup, face shape and eye colour.

Police have now released a photo of the suspect based on his DNA profile and are hoping it helps crack the case.