Provincial police say they’ve solved a mysterious case from Toronto – and that of a southern Ontario man who disappeared 23 years ago.
In 2002, Michael Debourcier died of natural causes.
He had been living in Toronto for two years at that point, but police knew little about his whereabouts before the turn of the century.
Thanks to the work of a private investigator, Haldimand County OPP say, there’s now an answer: Michael Debourcier was actually a person who died in an auto crash in British Columbia as a young boy.
Once that information came to light earlier this year, police ordered tests of the Toronto man’s DNA.
Those tests revealed that the man living under the name Michael Debourcier was actually James Walton, a Caledonia resident who went missing in 1992.
Walton’s vehicle and belongings were found near the Buffalo airport. Police believed he had been on his way to visit friends at Syracuse University, but little else was known about his whereabouts.
Police say they still want to hear from anyone who may have known Walton before his disappearance or after he assumed the identity of Michael Debourcier.
“Though there are still many more questions than answers, the OPP is pleased to provide some closure for the family,” a press release from the OPP says.
