Sudbury, Ontario — The body of Pamela Harvey, who was reported missing in Sudbury, Ontario, on December 25, 1978, has been positively identified by Quebec provincial police.
The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) explains that in March 1979, the body of an unidentified woman was discovered in Saint-Eustache, QC., and was determined to be a homicide victim. Despite the technological limitations of the time, investigators carefully preserved the evidence, allowing modern scientific methods — particularly DNA analysis — to be applied today.
For nearly five decades, investigators from the SRPS and later the Greater Sudbury police (GSPS) remained dedicated to the case.
Police explain that modern-day technologies, including DNA analysis as part of a 2018 national DNA Program for Missing Persons, allowed them to positively identify Harvey.
In 2025, a forensic odontologist established a connection between Pamela Harvey's disappearance and the victim found in Saint-Eustache. Analyses conducted by the Laboratory of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine (LSJML), comparing evidence preserved since 1979 with the family DNA samples, led to a positive match confirmed by the Quebec Coroner's Office.
"This outcome reflects the significant progress in forensic science that has made this resolution possible today,” the SQ said. "This confirmation provides long-awaited answers to Pamela's family and ensures that her identity and story are no longer unknown."
The force states that Harvey's family has requested privacy "as they navigate this extremely painful ordeal" and will not be speaking publicly.
The person presumed responsible for Harvey's death died in 1979, police note.
