Who was Brenda LeBlanc? Human remains found in Canada’s Niagara Falls unravel a decades-long missing person mystery

Human remains discovered during the demolition of a home in Canada in 2023 have been identified as Brenda Marie LeBlanc, a woman who disappeared in the 1990s. Her remains were found at the vacant Niagara Falls property in November 2023 and were identified through genetic genealogy in 2025, the Niagara Regional Police Service said in a press statement shared on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.

Born in 1963, LeBlanc lived in both Niagara Falls and St. Catharines during the 1990s, when she was in her 30s, and was originally from New Brunswick. According to the police release, the property had been vacant for several years before its demolition and had previously operated as a multi-unit rental residence from the late 1970s until approximately 2018. Since 2018, it has frequently been unlawfully entered and used by unhoused individuals.

Investigators initially determined that the remains belonged to an adult woman and had likely been at the property for years, possibly dating back to the mid-1990s, according to the statement.


“Following the discovery, investigators with the Homicide Unit, working alongside forensic experts, conducted an extensive investigation. A forensic and anthropological examination determined the remains belonged to an adult female and indicated that they had likely been at the property for many years, potentially dating back to the mid-1990s,” the police statement read.

“Based on the investigation to date and the forensic examination of the remains, the NRPS is investigating Brenda’s death as a homicide,” the statement reads. “At this time, investigators have not established how Brenda came to be at the Stanley Avenue property, and her connection to the residence remains unknown,” the statement reads.

Authorities are asking anyone who knew LeBlanc or may have information about her whereabouts or activities during that period to come forward as investigators work to piece together the circumstances surrounding her death. Police also said the property owners have been cooperative throughout the investigation.