Cold case solved: Police ID remains of Sudbury woman murdered in 1978

DNA technology solves 1978 cold case: Pamela Harvey, 23, reported missing from Sudbury, was identified as a homicide victim found in Quebec in 1979.

The remains of Pamela Harvey, who went missing in November 1978 in Greater Sudbury, Ont., have been identified thanks to advancements in DNA technology.

Greater Sudbury police said March 31 that, working with the Sûreté du Québec and several other groups, it has been confirmed that human remains discovered in March 1979 in St-Eustache, Que., belonged to Harvey.

“Investigators determined that she was the victim of a homicide,” Sudbury police said in a news release.

Harvey left her Lloyd Street apartment Nov. 16, 1978, leaving her young son in the care of a neighbour. She was reported missing the following month. There was widespread belief that her disappearance was linked to biker gangs active in the city at the time.

She was 23 years old. The person believed responsible for her murder died in 1979, Sudbury police said. Her case was later part of a book focused on unsolved disappearances in Sudbury.

Police in Quebec carefully preserved the remains discovered in 1979, allowing the identification to be made decades later.

“Despite the limitations of forensic science at the time, the evidence was carefully collected and preserved by investigators and … forensic specialists and has been securely maintained ever since,” police said.

“Although current technologies were not available at the time, this preservation enabled the use of modern forensic methods, including DNA analysis. For the next 47 years, members of the Sudbury Regional Police Service and, later, the Greater Sudbury Police Service remained committed to Pamela’s case.”

DNA registry

In 2018, the National Missing Persons DNA Program was launched, “allowing familial DNA samples to be submitted in support of identifying missing persons and unidentified human remains,” police said.

Sudbury detectives met with Harvey’s family and collected DNA samples, which were submitted to the national database.

“In 2025, within this collaborative framework, a forensic odontologist was able to connect Pamela Harvey’s missing persons case with the unidentified homicide victim discovered in St-Eustache,” police said.

“Subsequent forensic analysis was conducted from preserved exhibits dating back to 1979 and compared with the familial DNA provided by Pamela’s relatives in 2018, resulting in a positive association through the RCMP National DNA Data Bank and confirmed as a positive identification by the Québec Coroner’s Office.”

While coming almost 50 years after her murder, police said advancements in technology and the preservation of evidence has allowed Harvey’s family to gain closure.

“This confirmation provides long-awaited answers to Pamela’s family and ensures that her identity and story are no longer unknown,” police said.

“After 47 years of uncertainty, Pamela Harvey’s family can finally begin to grieve with answers, knowing that her identity has been restored with dignity and care. Pamela was never forgotten, and her case reflects the unwavering perseverance of investigators across jurisdictions who believed that answers were still possible.”

Her family has decided it does not want to speak publicly, police added.

“Members of the involved agencies have notified Pamela’s family, who have asked for privacy as they navigate this deeply emotional time,” police said.

“We extend our deepest condolences to Pamela’s family and loved ones, whose strength and patience have endured for decades, and our sincere appreciation to the dedicated professionals whose collaboration, compassion, and commitment ensured that Pamela’s story would one day be told. Her life mattered and she will always be remembered.”