Arizona drowning victim identified as Ontario man nearly 50 years later

Canadian authorities contacted brother of dead man, who provided a DNA sample

Published Aug 08, 2026  •  2 minute read

Aerial view of Patagonia Lake State Park in Arizona on October 25, 2024. Photo by ERNESTO BENAVIDES //AFP via Getty Images

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Police in Arizona say DNA technology was used to help identify the victim of a drowning nearly 50 years ago as a man from Ontario.

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David Alan McInroy was identified as the person whose remains were found at Patagonia Lake in Santa Cruz County in 1978.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office had alerted authorities in Canada about a possible distant relative of the deceased man, who was identified through a DNA database, news outlet KOLD reported.

Canadian authorities contacted the brother of the dead man, who then provided a DNA sample.

The sample was compared to that of the deceased individual’s DNA, which helped authorities identify the remains as McInroy.

Five decade old cold case

Skeletal remains of a then-unidentified person were recovered at Patagonia Lake State Park on April 28, 1978. Investigators said the remains were that of a young male, likely between the ages of 18 and 24, according to forensic DNA laboratory Othram.

Recovered alongside the remains were cut-off denim shorts with a “Made in Canada” tag, Jockey-brand shorts, dark-coloured socks and ankle-high walking boots. Authorities determined the man died by drowning. No identification was found with the remains.

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Due to the condition of the remains at the time, there wasn’t a way for police to identify the man. The case became known as the Santa Cruz County John Doe (1978) case, with details being entered into the National Missing Unidentified Persons System.

DNA extracted to build profile

In August 2024, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office worked with the Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office to submit forensic evidence to Othram. The company extracted DNA to be used in Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing in an effort to build a profile of the deceased man.

With the new information, authorities resumed investigation of the case, which led them to potential relatives of the man. Othram noted a DNA sample was collected from a relative and compared to that of the DNA profile.

The DNA match helped authorities identify the remains as McInroy, who was born Oct. 13, 1952 in Ontario. He was 25 at the time of his death.

No further details were released by authorities or the company.

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