RCMP in Two Hills have made an arrest more than three decades after a woman was sexually assaulted at knifepoint in her own home, in a case police say was cracked using modern DNA genealogy techniques.The original assault was reported in June 1992, when a woman told police she had been attacked inside her residence while her children were present. At the time, no suspect was identified, although investigators recovered DNA from the scene.The case remained unsolved for years until it was reopened in 2021. While a suspect was identified during that review, investigators said the evidence was still insufficient to lay charges. A further review in 2023 changed the trajectory of the investigation after RCMP uncovered a familial DNA match through Investigative Genetic Genealogy.That match allowed police to narrow in on a potential suspect and obtain a DNA warrant. .Testing later confirmed the suspect’s DNA matched the DNA recovered from the 1992 crime scene.Leonard Peter Paulencu, 65, of Two Hills, was arrested and charged on Monday. He is facing charges of sexual assault with a weapon and break and enter to commit an indictable offence.Paulencu was brought before a justice of the peace and remanded into custody. He is scheduled to appear before the Alberta Court of Justice in Lloydminster on Tuesday.RCMP say the arrest underscores their commitment to pursuing unresolved cases, regardless of how much time has passed.“We want to remind the public, especially the victims, that we are always looking to resolve criminal investigations,” said Cpl. Nicholls, detachment commander of the Two Hills RCMP. “I know there are other victims out there waiting for this chapter to end and I hope that this will give them hope that resolution is still possible, no matter the time elapsed.”
