The remains of a woman found almost 20 years ago near Rockwood, Ont., have been identified.
Wellington County OPP say the remains are that of 41-year-old Tammy Penner of Chilliwack, B.C. She was identified through the use of investigative genetic genealogy (IGG).
Police used presumptive identification in April to locate living family members and a DNA sample from one of the family members was used to confirm her identity.
Penner’s remains were first discovered by a person while walking in a wooded picnic area on Highway 7 in Guelph-Eramosa Township, northwest of Toronto, on Aug. 28, 2005. She was found covered in a Woods sleeping bag and wearing clothes that were determined to have been bought in the Montreal area.
Members of the OPP criminal investigations branch (CIB), along with the Office of the Chief Coroner and the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, began the investigation. It wasn’t until 2022 that investigators requested that IGG be used to identify the victim.
They say the woman wore a two-tooth partial plate on her upper teeth for a broken left cheek, nose and eye socket that had healed. There was also evidence to suggest she was dragged a short distance about a month before the discovery.
Investigators say Penner was reported missing to the RCMP on Feb. 7, 2005. They believe someone may have been in contact with her during that period as she was going from B.C. to Ontario.
Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of death but are treating it as suspicious.