New DNA technology links northern trucker, now dead, to 1999 homicide in Niagara

TOWN OF LINCOLN - A decades-old cold case is closed, and police believe a now-deceased truck driver from New Liskeard is the killer. 

If Joseph Archie “Raymond” Brousseau were alive today, Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) says he would be charged with second-degree murder in Nadine Gurczenski's death 25 years ago.

The Toronto woman was 26 years old on May 8, 1999, when her partially clothed body was found in the ditch in the area of Victoria Avenue and Eighth Avenue in the Town of Lincoln, which is located between Grimsby and St. Catharines.

“We want to recognize that Nadine was an incredibly important part of our family. She meant more than a news headline. She was a beautiful young woman inside and out, mother, wife, and now grandmother who had her whole life ripped away from her and everyone who loved her. She is very loved and missed every day by her whole family and we will always make sure her memory lives on forever," reads a statement from Gurczenski's family, including her husband Paul, daughter Heather and son Nash.

DNA evidence was collected from the scene, but it was not linked to anyone at the time.

The case remained unsolved until genetic technology helped investigators crack it. 

Genetic technology advancements are also what helped police identify a Moosonee man as the killer of two Toronto women in the 1980s. 

At the time of the murder, Brousseau was 34 years old. He died in 2017.

He was a truck driver who travelled extensively across Canada and the United States for work and had ties to Quebec, said police.

Because Brousseau is dead, formal charges can't be laid and the matter can't be heard in court, said NRPS.

“Through the tireless work of detectives, we are able to offer some measure of closure for Nadine’s grieving family. 

"While nothing can ease their pain, the determination of our detectives is evident in identifying the person responsible for her murder.  Investigations such as these take a toll on our members, as they carry that weight with them in the search for justice,"  said deputy chief Todd Waselovich in the news release.

Police are still interested in hearing from people with more information. Detectives can be reached at 905-688-4111, dial option 3, ext. 1009060. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.