New Snapshot Released In Renee Sweeney Murder Investigation

By: Nick Liard

Greater Sudbury Police have partnered with U.S. based Parabon NanoLabs and have released a snapshot of a suspect wanted in a near 20-year old murder investigation.

Renee Sweeney was a 23-year old Laurentian University student when she was stabbed to death while working at Adults Only Video in January of 1998.

Police have everything they need on the suspect including DNA, but the suspects DNA is not in any databases.

The snapshot paints a picture of the suspect at 25-years old and through DNA Phenotyping, it’s determined the suspect is 98% Northern European, with blue green eyes and brownish/ blond hair.

The composite does not take into account lifestyle factors like smoking, drinking, diet, facial hair, hairstyle or scars.

Steven Armentrout of Parabon says the technology is rather new but has been used in similar cases, one in Canada where it helped solves a 45-year old unsolved murder.

Sudbury Police released the photo of the suspect to show what he looked like at the time of the murder, hoping someone, somewhere knew him and can come forward with a name.

Police Chief Paul Pedersen says this person was in Sudbury in January 1998 and someone had to have known him.

Pedersen says with the DNA saying he is 98% Northern European it narrows down their target search.

To date, over 18 hundred people of interest have been eliminated as suspects.

The cost of the snapshot is $3,600 american,