Vancouver police use DNA to look for relatives of 1950s ‘Babes in the Woods’ cold case

Editor’s note: This article contains details that may be disturbing to some readers.

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Investigators are hoping a DNA comparison will lead to a break in a chilling Vancouver murder case dating back nearly 70 years. Police say DNA taken from the bones of the victims in the “Babes in the Woods” case are being sent for analysis.

In 1953, the skeletal remains of two boys, believed to be aged 7 and 8, were found by a groundskeeper near Beaver Lake in Stanley Park.

The children’s skulls had been bludgeoned by a hatchet. That hatchet was found near the bodies, which were covered by a woman’s coat.

 

Investigators believe the children were killed in 1948 and weren’t discovered until five years later.

“We still don’t know who these boys were, why they were in Vancouver, or who killed them,” Sgt. Steve Addison said. “But, we hope genealogical testing will finally give us the answers we’ve been looking for.”

The VPD is now working with a forensic genetic genealogist company to study the victims’ DNA to compare them to those in DNA databases, with the hopes of identifying living relatives.

Related article: Map of B.C. human remains generates flood of cold case tips

Police say with more people interested in learning about their ancestry, there is now a wide range of DNA to compare to.

“This process could give us new leads to follow, and we hope it will finally help us give these boys a name and identify their killer,” Addison said.

You can read more about VPD cold cases online, where you can also submit a tip.