The reopening of the Patrick Santos cold case

2026-08-10

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It's taken Toronto Police more than 20 years to charge a suspect in the murder of Patrick Santos, a 21 year old Scarborough man that was found zip-tied and duck taped in his home in 2006. Investigative genetic genealogy was able to match the DNA sample taken from the crime scene to that of Pierre O'Connor, a Hamilton man who had no previous criminal record. Host Maria Kestane speaks to Fil Martino, co-host of Tracking a killer, to dig into the details of the 20 year-old cold case. Then she's joined by Steen ...

It's taken Toronto Police more than 20 years to charge a suspect in the murder of Patrick Santos, a 21 year old Scarborough man that was found zip-tied and duck taped in his home in 2006.

Investigative genetic genealogy was able to match the DNA sample taken from the crime scene to that of Pierre O'Connor, a Hamilton man who had no previous criminal record.

Host Maria Kestane speaks to Fil Martino, co-host of Tracking a killer, to dig into the details of the 20 year-old cold case. Then she's joined by Steen Hartsen, a faculty member of the British Columbia Institute of Technology to learn more about genetic genealogy - including its ethical risks.

Listen to Tracking A Killer here.

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