OPP seek help in 'suspicious' hitchhiker death

Sudbury OPP are asking for public assistance in the death of David Paul Caffery (shown), whose remains were discovered late last year in Burwash Township, south of Estaire.

The remains were recently identified through dental records.

The 19-year-old hitchhiker was last seen on Aug. 22, 1990, when he was checked by Thessalon OPP.

To see a second photograph of Caffery around age 19, please click here.

To see a photo of him about two years earlier, click here.

Full text of OPP release ***************************************************************** OPP Seek Assistance in Death of Hitchhiker

SUDBURY, ON, Oct. 17 - On Oct. 29, 2001, the Ontario Provincial Police Criminal Investigations Branch began an investigation into the discovery of human remains located in Burwash Township, south of Estaire.

Hunters had discovered the remains while walking through the bush approximately 25 kilometres south of Sudbury.

A police investigation, involving the Sudbury Criminal Investigation Unit, the Criminal Investigation Branch of the OPP and the Forensic Osteology Department at Laurentian University began immediately.

Once the scene examination was completed, a list of missing persons was obtained from the Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System (ViCLAS) unit, Behavioural Sciences Section at the OPP General Headquarters in Orillia, Ontario.

As a result of a search and comparison of dental records, the human remains have been identified as David Paul CAFFERY, 19, of Toronto.

The next-of-kin have been notified and the family had the opportunity to attend the scene in Burwash Township earlier this week.

From the investigation, police have learned that David was hitchhiking back to Toronto from Calgary, Alberta, after visiting family in August of 1990.

On Aug. 21, 1990, David called home to his family from Thunder Bay and advised them that he would be home in a few days.

On Aug. 22, 1990 at 1:05 am, David was checked by a Nipigon OPP officer.

This check confirmed that David was en route home to Toronto.

On Aug. 22, 1990 at 11:12 am, David was checked by a Thessalon OPP officer.

The officer noted that David had recently met up with a male hitchhiker from Germany.

The German National had recently arrived in Canada and was hitchhiking to the United States.

The German male told the officer that he had been given a ride from the Bruce Mines, Ontario area by a German couple who had just dropped him off in Thessalon.

On Aug. 25, 1990, David was reported missing to the Metropolitan Toronto Police Service.

The Toronto Police service conducted a missing person investigation and entered him as a missing person on the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) and subsequently entered him on ViCLAS.

Police believe that David CAFFERY was a healthy, 19 year old male.

He was returning to the Toronto area after a summer vacation in Alberta with family.

He had regular contact with his family until Aug. 21, 1990.

Police investigators are treating David's death as suspicious and hope that further forensic examination of the physical evidence, plus an appeal to anyone with information, might assist police in this investigation.

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