Human remains found in Markham, Ont. in 1980 belonged to prison escapee: police

Human remains found by a Markham, Ont. resident on July 16, 1980 have been identified as William Joseph Pennell. (York Regional Police)

More than 44 years after human remains were found in a rural area of Markham, Ont., police are revealing that the deceased was an inmate who had escaped prison just a month before his body was found.

York Regional Police made the revelation public in a news release issued Friday, saying investigators identified the remains of 26-year-old Toronto resident William Joseph Pennell on April 3, 2023.

Prior to Friday’s news release, the identity of the remains found by a Markham resident on July 16, 1980 were a mystery.

According to police, Pennell had spent time in several correctional institutions for a variety of criminal offences and was arrested for armed robbery and attempted murder on June 30, 1979 while out on parole.

After he was charged, Pennell was “immediately” sent to the Collins Bay Institution in Kingston, Ont.

Police said Pennell admitted to his role in the crime to his case officers, but said there were at least two other people involved in the robbery, and refused to implicate them as he believed his life was in danger.

Pennell was convicted of the robbery in April 1980. Two months later, he escaped from prison. To this date, no detailed records about the escape have been located.

While the details of his escape remain unclear, police said Pennell told a friend he intended to flee to South America. Police believe that was Pennell’s last contact before his death.

Pennell’s cause of death was never determined, but investigators believe foul play was involved.

Police exhumed Pennell's body in 2007

For 43 years, York Regional Police tried to identify the remains found on the side of Eleventh Concession, between 14th and Steeles avenues, but struggled due to the state of decomposition.

Initially, investigators used forensics to determine that the remains belonged to a white man, between the ages of 25 and 40 years old, who stood five-foot-six inches tall and weighed between 100 and 120 pounds.

It wasn’t until 2007 that cold case investigators exhumed the body to complete a facial reconstruction analysis and collect DNA.

“The following year, a DNA profile was developed and uploaded to the national DNA database, however, there were no matches,” police wrote.

Then, in 2021, investigators used investigative genetic genealogy to find relatives of the deceased. Pennell was identified two years later.

Police say the investigation into Pennell’s death is ongoing and they’re looking to speak with additional friends and associates of the 26-year-old to understand what happened following his 1980 prison escape.