The Edmonton Police Service Historical Crimes Section has charged one man in a 2002 homicide.
On May 9, 2002, police responded to the report of a body that was found under a bed in a home in the area of 99 Street and 86 Avenue. The following day, an autopsy confirmed the deceased male, Michael Thomas Longmore, 59, was the victim of a homicide. At the time, investigators lacked evidence to lay charges.
In January 2019, the EPS Historical Crimes Section opened a review of the file and resubmitted exhibits to the RCMP laboratory for forensic testing. The results of this testing identified a DNA profile that led police to a suspect.
On Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, police arrested Denis Laframboise, 66 and charged him with second degree murder in relation to Longmore’s death.
“This is exactly why we review historical homicide files,” says Staff Sergeant Ryan Tebb with EPS Historical Crimes Section. “While DNA testing at the time wasn’t sophisticated enough to identify a suspect, today’s technology has made it possible to do so, and hopefully bring a sense of resolution to the victim’s family.”
The EPS Historical Crimes Section was established in 2018 and consists of approximately ten officers who investigate historical homicides, missing persons and cold case sexual assaults. The four homicide detectives in the Section currently have a caseload of 202 unsolved homicides dating from 1938 to 2017. A full review of all historical files was initiated when the Section was formed to identify files where modern technology or investigative approaches may be able to shed light on a previously unsolved case.
