Police say they have used genealogy technology to identify the perpetrator of most of Toronto's murders a decade ago, but sadly the killer died last year.
On May 17, 1982, Kevin McBride, 47, was stabbed to death in his apartment at 311-5600 Sheppard Ave. E in Scarborough, according to the Toronto Star. An article in The Star at the time described McBride as a "fun-loving" window designer, antique dealer and interior designer from Australia.
The case remained unsolved for decades until the Toronto Police Homicide Mystery Unit reopened the case in 2016. Tests were conducted on the exhibits and seized items in the apartment to determine if advances in forensic testing could identify further leads. Police said at the time that McBride had nothing to do with the crime, but a new investigation determined that his car and credit cards had been used after his death.
In 2022, police obtained a DNA sample from a man and, using a genealogy investigation in collaboration with a private science lab, identified the suspect, William Taylor, who was 34 at the time of the homicide and died in May 2023 at the age of 75. Toronto police said in a press release Monday: "If William Taylor were alive today, he would have been arrested and charged with first-degree murder." ”