Forensic genealogy helps crack 1975 cold case of ‘Nation River Lady’ in eastern Ontario

The Ontario Provincial Police say they have finally identified the remains of a woman found dead nearly 50 years ago through DNA technology and forensic genealogy.

They have also laid charges against an 81-year-old American man in connection to the cold case.

On May 3, 1975, police said a farmer had discovered a woman’s body in the Nation River near the Highway 417 bridge, which is just south of the Town of Casselman, Ont. — about 55 kilometres southeast of Ottawa.

She later became known as the “Nation River Lady” and for the last five decades, police have tried to identify her and any possible suspects through numerous public appeals for information. In 2017, a 3D facial reconstruction image through a forensic artist’s renderings was released, as well as a dedicated tip line.

On Wednesday, OPP’s Deputy Commissioner Marty Kearns said this was “one of the oldest, unsolved and most unique unidentified remains investigations in OPP history.”

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

OPP Det. Insp. Daniel Nadeau said investigators exhumed her body in late 2019 in order to obtain a new DNA profile of the victim which was then submitted to a specialized lab in the United States.

Police said through whole genome sequencing, the samples matched those collected from two people listed in a family DNA tree.

In 2020, investigators had identified the woman as 48-year-old Jewell ‘Lalla’ Langford.

“This is believed to be the first case in Canada of this nature to identify human remains through forensic genealogy,” police said.

Investigators revealed Langford was a prominent member of the Jackson, Tennessee business community who had co-owned a spa with her ex-husband.

Langford was born in March of 1927 and had travelled to Montréal in April of 1975, investigators said.

“She never returned home and her family in Tennessee at that time had reported her missing,” police said.

In March of 2022, investigators said her remains were repatriated to the United States after a memorial service and burial.

After the victim was identified, police said OPP investigators worked with Montreal police, Ontario’s coroner office, the FBI, and both departments of justice in Canada and the U.S. to identify who was responsible for Langford’s death by looking at unsolved missing person’s cases.

A criminal charge was laid on a man living in Hollywood, Florida.

Police have charged 81-year-old Rodney Nichols with murder. Investigators said the accused and Langford were known to each other.

The charge was formally laid in court last year, investigators said, adding it was not announced until now as to not jeopardize the investigation.

Police said prematurely sharing developments in the investigation could have jeopardized the investigation and ensuing court processes, including potential extradition from the United States.

“For 47 years, Jewell Langford’s family did not know where she was or if they would ever learn what happened to her,” said Dr. Dirk Huyer, Chief Coroner for Ontario.

“As science and technology progressed over the years and with continued collaboration by all investigating organizations, we were finally able to answer those questions,” Huyer said. “Our work is about finding the truth for families like Jewell’s and never giving up regardless of the passage of time.”

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