A 47-year-old cold case involving the murder of 16-year-old Pauline Brazeau has been solved with the RCMP Historical Homicide Unit (HHU) and the Calgary Police Service Cold Case Homicide Unit collaborating to bring charges against a suspect.Pauline Brazeau, a young Métis woman and single mother originally from Saskatchewan, moved to Calgary with her infant daughter in the fall of 1975. On January 9, 1976, Pauline was last seen leaving Peppe's Ristorante in the area of 7 St. and 17 Ave. S.W. in Calgary around 3 a.m.Just hours later, her body was discovered outside of Calgary, within Cochrane RCMP jurisdiction, with an autopsy confirming her death as a homicide.Pauline's murder was one of several unsolved homicides that plagued the Calgary area during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1995, the RCMP established a task force to re-investigate these cold cases, including Pauline's. Despite exhaustive efforts, the case remained unsolved, but authorities never abandoned their pursuit of justice.In 2021, the Alberta RCMP's HHU joined forces with the Calgary Police Service's Cold Case Homicide Unit, hoping to re-evaluate historical homicide investigations dating back to the 1970s. Leveraging advancements in DNA technology, they turned to Investigative Genetic Genealogy as a new tool for generating leads. This marked the second instance of the Alberta RCMP employing this cutting-edge technology to resolve a historical case.By 2022, the HHU sought assistance from Othram Inc., a private lab in the United States and collaborated with two dedicated genealogists from Convergence Investigative Genetic Genealogy to push the case forward.By 2023, the investigative team had a lead on a potential suspect.On November 7, 2023, authorities took 73-year-old Ronald James Edwards, a resident of Sundre into custody in connection with the investigation.Edwards has been charged with murder as per the 1976 Criminal Code, which classified murder into capital and non-capital categories. Consequently, Edwards faces charges of non-capital murder, consistent with the 1976 Criminal Code.Following a Judicial Interim Release Hearing, Edwards has been remanded into custody and is scheduled to appear in the Alberta Court of Justice in Calgary on November 14."The Alberta RCMP Historical Homicide Unit investigators are committed to speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves," said Insp. Breanne Brown, of the Alberta RCMP Serious Crimes Branch."The search for Pauline's killer has never ended over the past 47 years. Throughout the years, we have always been hopeful that the person responsible would be held accountable." "I am extremely grateful for all investigators who have worked on this investigation throughout the years and the partnership and support from the Calgary Police Service. I truly hope that Pauline's surviving family find some closure as they receive answers."Supt. Ryan Ayliffe, of the CPS said: "For the last 47 years, Pauline's connection to Calgary has been at the forefront of our investigators' minds, and they worked closely with the RCMP to ensure her case remained a priority. "In this case, as with all cases, we want to ensure we have explored every investigative avenue and that we are always looking at different ways to solve these files, especially as advancements in technology are made and new options to investigate historical cases become available." "We are grateful that our organizations were able to work together to bring closure to this case and to Pauline's family. If I were to leave you with one assurance, it would be that our investigators will not give up on our Calgary victims, no matter where they are found."
A 47-year-old cold case involving the murder of 16-year-old Pauline Brazeau has been solved with the RCMP Historical Homicide Unit (HHU) and the Calgary Police Service Cold Case Homicide Unit collaborating to bring charges against a suspect.Pauline Brazeau, a young Métis woman and single mother originally from Saskatchewan, moved to Calgary with her infant daughter in the fall of 1975. On January 9, 1976, Pauline was last seen leaving Peppe's Ristorante in the area of 7 St. and 17 Ave. S.W. in Calgary around 3 a.m.Just hours later, her body was discovered outside of Calgary, within Cochrane RCMP jurisdiction, with an autopsy confirming her death as a homicide.Pauline's murder was one of several unsolved homicides that plagued the Calgary area during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1995, the RCMP established a task force to re-investigate these cold cases, including Pauline's. Despite exhaustive efforts, the case remained unsolved, but authorities never abandoned their pursuit of justice.In 2021, the Alberta RCMP's HHU joined forces with the Calgary Police Service's Cold Case Homicide Unit, hoping to re-evaluate historical homicide investigations dating back to the 1970s. Leveraging advancements in DNA technology, they turned to Investigative Genetic Genealogy as a new tool for generating leads. This marked the second instance of the Alberta RCMP employing this cutting-edge technology to resolve a historical case.By 2022, the HHU sought assistance from Othram Inc., a private lab in the United States and collaborated with two dedicated genealogists from Convergence Investigative Genetic Genealogy to push the case forward.By 2023, the investigative team had a lead on a potential suspect.On November 7, 2023, authorities took 73-year-old Ronald James Edwards, a resident of Sundre into custody in connection with the investigation.Edwards has been charged with murder as per the 1976 Criminal Code, which classified murder into capital and non-capital categories. Consequently, Edwards faces charges of non-capital murder, consistent with the 1976 Criminal Code.Following a Judicial Interim Release Hearing, Edwards has been remanded into custody and is scheduled to appear in the Alberta Court of Justice in Calgary on November 14."The Alberta RCMP Historical Homicide Unit investigators are committed to speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves," said Insp. Breanne Brown, of the Alberta RCMP Serious Crimes Branch."The search for Pauline's killer has never ended over the past 47 years. Throughout the years, we have always been hopeful that the person responsible would be held accountable." "I am extremely grateful for all investigators who have worked on this investigation throughout the years and the partnership and support from the Calgary Police Service. I truly hope that Pauline's surviving family find some closure as they receive answers."Supt. Ryan Ayliffe, of the CPS said: "For the last 47 years, Pauline's connection to Calgary has been at the forefront of our investigators' minds, and they worked closely with the RCMP to ensure her case remained a priority. "In this case, as with all cases, we want to ensure we have explored every investigative avenue and that we are always looking at different ways to solve these files, especially as advancements in technology are made and new options to investigate historical cases become available." "We are grateful that our organizations were able to work together to bring closure to this case and to Pauline's family. If I were to leave you with one assurance, it would be that our investigators will not give up on our Calgary victims, no matter where they are found."
