After more than three decades of uncertainty, a body discovered on the shores of Lake Ontario in 1992 has been positively identified as Vincent C. Stack, a Buffalo, New York man who went missing in December 1990.
The identification, facilitated by advanced DNA technology, marks the end of a long-standing mystery surrounding Stack’s disappearance and presumed death.
Vincent Stack vanished from Niagara Falls State Park on December 4, 1990, under circumstances that led authorities to believe he had gone over the falls. His remains were discovered on April 8, 1992, having drifted approximately 15 miles to the mouth of the St. Lawrence River and then 130 miles across Lake Ontario before washing ashore.
At the time of their discovery, the remains were in an advanced state of decomposition and largely skeletal, making identification challenging.
Initial examinations by the medical examiner estimated that the unidentified individual had been deceased for a period ranging between six months to five years. For decades, the case remained cold, with the remains unidentified and the mystery of Stack’s disappearance unresolved.
In 2022, the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office, spurred by advancements in DNA technology and a commitment to resolving long-standing cases, renewed its efforts to identify the remains. Collaboration with the Niagara Regional Police Service in Ontario, Canada, was pivotal in this endeavor. Detective Constable Sara Mummery of the Ontario department played a key role in securing a new DNA sample from the remains for comparison against missing persons cases in both the United States and Canada.
The breakthrough came in February 2024 when a DNA sample obtained from the remains matched genetic material provided by Stack’s family. Stack, who was 40 years old at the time of his disappearance, was finally identified, bringing long-awaited closure to his family. The Oswego County Sheriff’s Office formally announced the identification, highlighting the collaborative effort between U.S. and Canadian law enforcement agencies to solve this cross-border mystery.
This identification not only closes the chapter on Vincent Stack’s case but also underscores the importance of DNA technology in solving unidentified remains cases. Both the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office and the Niagara Regional Police Service have expressed their commitment to continuing the use of DNA technology to solve other cold cases in the region.
In reflecting on the resolution of this case, authorities have not only provided answers to Stack’s family but also demonstrated the evolving capabilities of forensic science. Detective Constable Mummery’s work, in particular, emphasizes the collaborative nature of modern law enforcement, bridging international gaps to solve cases that once seemed beyond resolution.
