Ontario man missing since 1988 identified as Toronto motorcycle crash victim

An Ontario Provincial Police logo is shown during a press conference in Barrie, Ont., Wednesday, April 3, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

TORONTO — Police say a man who went missing almost four decades ago from a city in southwestern Ontario has been identified.

The Ontario Provincial Police force says 19-year-old Bradley Verbeek was reported missing in March 1988 and had been last seen in London in December 1987.

They say investigators last year obtained information suggesting Verbeek was involved in a fatal motorcycle crash in Toronto in May 1988.

Police say he was buried at the time as an unknown person, but recent DNA testing confirmed his identity and his family was notified.

Insp. Nathan Parker says, while tragic, the outcome reflects that police are committed to bringing families closure.

Verbeek’s family, in a statement provided by police, says after years living in limbo they are “profoundly grateful” to finally have answers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 1, 2026.