Toronto police charge Hamilton man in 20-year-old Patrick Santos murder case
Genetic genealogy matched DNA from the 2006 crime scene to Pierre O'Connor, 43, who had no prior criminal record.
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Toronto police have charged a Hamilton man in connection with the 2006 homicide of Patrick Santos, a 21-year-old found dead outside his father's home near Ellesmere and Bellamy roads on September 17, 2006.
Pierre O'Connor was arrested on July 29 and charged after investigators used genetic genealogy to match DNA from the crime scene to the suspect. O'Connor had no prior criminal record. Detective Sergeant Stephen Smith of the Homicide and Missing Persons Unit's Cold Case Section announced the arrest at police headquarters on July 30.
Santos was found zip-tied and duct-taped in his home. The case had gone unsolved for more than two decades until cold-case investigators and modern forensic technology — specifically genetic genealogy — helped identify O'Connor as a suspect.
The source does not specify when the DNA sample was collected from the crime scene or when genetic genealogy analysis was commissioned.
The facts
Who was charged in the Patrick Santos murder case?
Pierre O'Connor, a 43-year-old Hamilton man, was charged in connection with the 2006 homicide of Patrick Santos.
When was Patrick Santos found dead?
Patrick Santos, a 21-year-old, was found dead on September 17, 2006, outside his father's home near Ellesmere and Bellamy roads in Toronto.
How did police identify O'Connor as a suspect?
Toronto police used genetic genealogy to match DNA from the crime scene to Pierre O'Connor, who had no prior criminal record.
When was O'Connor arrested?
Pierre O'Connor was arrested on July 29, 2026, and the arrest was announced on July 30, 2026, at Toronto police headquarters.
