'A resolution': Man charged with 1975 murder of woman found in Ontario river

CTV National News: Charges in 1975 cold case Adrian Ghobrial reports on an 81-year-old man charged with murder in a 1975 Ontario cold case of a strangled woman.

“Missing, but not forgotten.”

Those are the words inscribed on a headstone in memory of Jewell ‘Lalla’ Langford, a woman from Tennessee who was reported missing in April 1975.

For years, the mystery of what happened to Langford went unsolved.

On Wednesday, the Ontario Provincial Police were finally able to provide some answers.

In a media briefing, the provincial police force said it was able to identify Langford as the woman whose previously unidentified remains were found in the Nation River in eastern Ontario on May 3, 1975. The OPP has also laid a criminal charge in connection to the case.

Rodney Nichols, 81, a resident of Hollywood, Fla., has been charged with murder. The victim and accused were known to each other, according to police.

“Today, we can announce we have provided a resolution to her family and the communities in eastern Ontario that have lived with this unsolved investigation for over 47 years,” OPP Deputy Commissioner Marty Kearns said.

“Our collaborative approach with our policing partners and the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario has produced an opportunity for a grieving family to move forward, having lived with this tragic loss for so long.”

Cold case was unsolved for 47 years

Langford, born Jewell Parchman, was a prominent member of the business community in Jackson, Tenn., said Detective Insp. Daniel Nadeau, major case manager with the OPP's criminal investigation branch.

Langford travelled from the U.S. to Montreal in April 1975, but her family reported her as missing when she never returned home.

Her spring 1975 disappearance coincided with the discovery of a woman’s body floating in the Nation River near the Highway 417 bridge, south of Casselman, Ont., about 50 kilometres east of Ottawa.

In the following 47 years, efforts by authorities to identify the woman and any potential suspects were unsuccessful. Those efforts included forensic artist's renderings, a 3D facial reconstruction, a dedicated tip line and descriptions of evidence accompanied by several public appeals for information by police.

Forensic genealogy breakthrough allowed police to identify victim

With the availability of new science and technology, Nadeau said the OPP decided, in consultation with Ontario’s chief coroner and members of the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto, to exhume the body of the victim to obtain a new DNA profile in late 2019.

Ontario’s chief coroner, Dr. Kirk Huyer, said they were able to isolate a DNA sample and managed to develop “a very effective and clear” DNA profile, despite many years passing.

That sample was shared with the DNA Doe Project, an American non-profit organization that uses an investigative genetic genealogy approach to assist law enforcement. Investigative genetic genealogy, or forensic genealogy, is DNA testing designed to find genetic matches and help discover one’s ancestry.

After the DNA sample was successfully linked with others through this process and a family tree analysis, Huyer said there was “good potential” that the unidentified remains belonged to Langford.

Then, police met with her relatives to obtain their DNA samples and sent them off to the Centre of Forensic Sciences for comparison, which Huyer said is what ultimately confirmed in 2020 that 48-year-old Langford was the victim previously referred to as “Nation River Lady.”

Langford’s remains were repatriated to the U.S. in March 2022, followed by a memorial service and burial.

“So this was a long and ongoing process, never stopping. Many different avenues followed. And I think it speaks to the continued work that our organizations do,” Huyer said.

This is believed to be the first case in Canada that involved identifying human remains through forensic genealogy, the OPP said.

Multiple agencies worked together to find suspect

After Langford was finally identified, the OPP worked with the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) to examine evidence gathered decades before that was related to the unsolved missing person case.

A lengthy investigation ensued, involving the OPP, SPVM, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario and the Canadian and U.S. Departments of Justice. Eventually, Nichols was charged in connection with the case.

‘So adored in life’: Victim remembered

Langford is being remembered as a beloved daughter, sister, cousin and friend who was “so adored in life,” said Detective Const. Janice Mulcock, who is now retired but was one of the many investigators assigned to work on the case over the years.

“When she left the United States for Canada, she did so promising to remain in touch with every one of [her family members]. Unfortunately, that was a promise she was unable to keep,” Mulcock said.

Langford loved her friends and family dearly and was “devoted to all of them — and they knew it,” Mulcock said. During her disappearance, Langford’s ex-husband of many years rallied with her mother, siblings and friends to search for her.

In her professional life, Langford co-owned a health spa with her ex-husband, where she was a leader and mentor. She was also the chair and president of the Jackson, Tenn. chapter of the American Business Women's Association, and in 1971, was voted Woman of the Year by her colleagues.

In January 1973, Mulcock said Langford passed on the following words: "First, carefully choose what you want to make of your life. Set your goal, work toward that goal, give your employer and customer their money's worth. Keep yourself physically fit, neat, attractive, sincere. And above all, keep trying."

While the words “missing, but never forgotten,” still ring true to those who knew Langford, Mulcock said an updated headstone will honour her memory.

“Now we can all collectively – family, friends and strangers alike – be grateful that the word ‘missing’ will be replaced on her headstone with the words ‘Finally home and at peace.’”