Project Match is a review of all EPS’ historical unidentified human remains investigations that began in August of 2023. It is a partnership between the EPS Missing Persons Unit, the Alberta RCMP Missing Persons and Unidentified Human Remains Unit and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
On Sep. 26, 2023, Project Match began an investigation when partially unearthed human remains were found near a golf course in the area of 153 Avenue and 17 Street. Initial findings indicated the remains belonged to a female who died within the past several decades. An anthropologist determined that the partially-buried location of the remains was likely due to natural flooding and erosion, rather than deliberate burial.
DNA submitted to the National DNA Data Bank of Canada (NDDB) yielded no results. With funding from the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women (IAAW), detectives then initiated the investigative genetic genealogy process, which provided ethnic information about the deceased. This allowed investigators to narrow down their search to a potential missing person file from 2001, when a woman disappeared into the North Saskatchewan River and was never found.
Investigators then located possible family members in Ontario, and were able to obtain voluntary DNA samples from the deceased’s living relatives.
In November 2024, the remains were confirmed to be those of Erum Kamal, 24, who was last seen on Aug. 28, 2001, when she disappeared into the North Saskatchewan River. Her death was confirmed to be non-criminal.
“Our hearts go out to Erum’s family, who have experienced decades of ambiguous loss, grief and trauma, and we hope this conclusion can bring them some measure of healing,” says Acting Staff Sergeant Kevin Harrison, with the EPS Historical Crimes Section. “This investigation involved not only investigative genetic genealogy, but a significant amount of detective work to bring to a close, and it is an excellent example of why Project Match is such an important partnership between police, RCMP and the OCME.”
In February 2024, Project Match identified its first two historical human remains, Louise Laderoute and Irene Jacknife, who were found deceased of non-criminal causes in the 1970s.
The EPS Missing Persons Unit currently has 14 unsolved unidentified human remains files dating back to 1979. Project Match will continue to review these files with support from the RCMP National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.