New Brunswick woman identified as victim of historic Niagara Falls homicide

Cops seeking info on Brenda Marie LeBlanc, who spent time in Niagara Falls and St. Catharines in the 1990s

Published Aug 12, 2026  •  2 minute read

Brenda Marie LeBlanc, who was born in 1963 and was originally from New Brunswick before spending time in Niagara Falls and St. Catharines, Ont., in the 1990s, has been identified as the victim of a homicide. Photo by Niagara Regional Police

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Police are seeking tips from the public after identifying the remains of a deceased woman that were found almost three years ago in Niagara Falls.

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Niagara Regional Police issued an update on the case on Wednesday after remains were found during the demolition of a former residential property in the city’s south end in November 2023.

Brenda Marie LeBlanc, who was born in 1963 and was originally from New Brunswick before spending time in Niagara Falls and St. Catharines, Ont., in the 1990s, has been identified as the victim of a homicide. Photo by Niagara Regional Police

Using investigative genetic genealogy, they have since identified the deceased as Brenda Marie LeBlanc, who was born in 1963 and was originally from New Brunswick before spending time in Niagara Falls and St. Catharines in the 1990s when she was in her 30s.

“Based on the investigation to date and the forensic examination of the remains, the NRPS is investigating Brenda’s death as a homicide,” Niagara police said in a news release.

“At this time, investigators have not established how Brenda came to be at the Stanley Ave. property and her connection to the residence remains unknown.”

A former multi-unit rental property that was located at 7081 Stanley Ave. in Niagara Falls, Ont., where the remains of Brenda Marie LeBlanc were found in November 2023. The property has since been demolished. NIAGARA REGIONAL POLICE/HANDOUTS Photo by Niagara Regional Police

Remains may date to 1990s

Police said the investigation began after remains were found at a former multi-unit rental property at 7081 Stanley Ave., which had been occupied since the late 1970s until it was vacated around 2018.

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Since then, police said the property, about a 30-minute walk south of the city’s main tourist strip, had been “frequently unlawfully entered” and used by homeless people.

Homicide unit investigators conducted an “extensive investigation” alongside forensic experts, police said, and determined that the victim was an adult female whose remains had potentially been at the property as far back as the mid-1990s.

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Police said they had exhausted their leads until 2025, when they used investigative genetic genealogy — which combines DNA analysis with genealogical research — to identify LeBlanc with help from Toronto Police, the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service and Othram Laboratories in Texas.

“Although decades have passed, investigators believe that there are individuals who may have known Brenda or have information that could assist in determining the circumstances surrounding her death,” police said, adding that the property owners have been co-operative during the investigation.

They asked anyone who knew LeBlanc during the 1990s or has information about her associates, whereabouts or activities during that time to contact the homicide unit at 289-248-1058.

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