A British Columbia man is facing several charges almost 30 years after four females were violently sexually assaulted in southwestern Ontario, police say.
The Ontario Provincial Police say through advanced DNA technology, they were able to identify a 52-year-old man — who was in his 20s at the time of the incidents — as the suspect in the sexual assaults.
Police said the sexual assaults occurred in Lambton County, Kent County and Sarnia over a five-month span in 1997, and involved three underage girls — around the ages of 15 and 16 — and one woman.
The first incident occurred on March 26, 1997, when a teenage girl was abducted in Sarnia, Ont. She was taken by a man driving a dark blue vehicle and sexually assaulted in Sombra Township in Lambton County, police said.
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A second incident occurred two months later, on May 23, 1997, when another teen was walking along Highway 21 in the town of Thamesville in Kent County, Ont. The girl was picked up by a man in a light blue or grey two-door vehicle, where she was taken to a wooded area and sexually assaulted, police said.
Then, on June 7, 1997, a woman was picked up in Sarnia, Ont., while walking by a man driving a red vehicle. She was taken to a remote area nearby, where she was sexually assaulted, police said.
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The fourth incident occurred on Aug. 20, 1997, and involved another teenage girl in the city of Chatham and a man driving a blue vehicle. She was driven over to a remote location in the Township of Dover nearby, where she was sexually assaulted, police said.
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“In all four cases, the assailant drove away after the assault, leaving each victim at the site of the attack,” the OPP said. “Following reports of the incidents to police from the victims, descriptions of the assailant were shared publicly to encourage tips.”
The OPP said investigators believed all four of the sexual assaults involved the same suspect, through DNA analysis and investigative techniques. However, despite “extensive efforts” and repeated appeals, they were unable to identify him.
Fast forward to January 2024, police said advancements from DNA using genetic genealogy linked the four sexual assaults to the same person.
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OPP said in a press conference on Wednesday that they would not elaborate on how exactly that technology was used, as the case is before the courts, but that it took them “across the country” to find their suspect.
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On Oct. 26, police arrested the suspect, Jason Timothy Davidson, in Campbell River, B.C., with the help of local police. He was transferred back to Ontario to face charges.
The 52-year-old man faces several charges, including sexual assault, sexual assault causing bodily harm, sexual assault with a weapon, aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping, forcible confinement, uttering threats and theft.
“This arrest marks a major breakthrough in a decades-old investigation, made possible through advancements in DNA technology, investigative genetic genealogy and by the tireless dedication of police and our partners,” OPP Det. Insp. Michael Moore said.
“While we know nothing can erase the pain of these experiences, we hope that these charges bring some measure of resolution to the victims and their families.”
Moore said the accused was not known to police beforehand, and was only identified in 2024. He clarified that the 1996 photo they provided is from the Ministry of Transportation in Ontario, while the 2025 photo is from following his arrest.
He also noted Davidson had ties to the Sarnia and Chatham-Kent area and went to B.C. in 2017.
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“This is probably one of the most rewarding moments of my career, being able to let these survivors know after 28 long years of enduring the suffering that they’ve had to go through — I can’t even begin to imagine — but being able to tell them that we got him was a very big moment,” Moore said.
Moore said the OPP have put out Davidson’s photo and name in case there are any further victims.
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