Othram, a forensic genetics lab in The Woodlands, helped Canadian police identify a woman whose remains were hidden beneath a vacant house possibly since the mid-1990s.

The company used its proprietary genome sequencing technology to identify the woman as Brenda Marie LeBlanc, born in 1963. The Niagara Regional Police Service is investigating her death as a homicide, KHOU reported. Othram published the case on its DNASolves database on Aug. 12.

Demolition crews found LeBlanc's remains on Nov. 8, 2023, beneath a portion of a vacant home at 7081 Stanley Avenue in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Forensic examinations determined the remains belonged to an adult woman and indicated they may have been at the property since the mid-1990s.

Initial efforts to identify her failed.

She remained unidentified for nearly two years. In 2025, investigators with the Niagara Regional Police Service, working alongside the Toronto Police Service and Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, submitted evidence to Othram, headquartered at 2829 Technology Forest Blvd. Scientists at the lab extracted DNA and used the company's Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing, a proprietary process, to build a detailed genetic profile. The Toronto Police Service then led a forensic genetic genealogy search that generated new leads, and follow-up investigation confirmed LeBlanc's identity.

Investigators determined LeBlanc was originally from New Brunswick and lived in both Niagara Falls and St. Catharines, Ontario, during the 1990s, when she was in her 30s. Police have not established any connection between LeBlanc and the Stanley Avenue property.

The house had served as a multi-unit rental residence from the late 1970s until about 2018, TurnTo10 reported. After that, it was frequently entered illegally and used by unhoused individuals, police said. The Niagara Regional Police Service released a YouTube video titled "Who killed Brenda?" as part of a public appeal for information.

The LeBlanc case marks the 29th publicly announced case in Ontario where investigators used Othram's technology to identify an individual, according to DNASolves. Othram was founded in 2018 and had recorded more than 500 public case announcements as of June 2025, working with law enforcement in nearly every U.S. state and with international agencies.

CEO David Mittelman, a molecular biologist, told Congress in July 14, 2026, testimony that a peer-reviewed analysis of 477 unidentified remains cases resolved using modern forensic DNA methods found more than one-quarter of homicide cases led to criminal charges, convictions, or the identification of offenders.

In a June 2025 company profile, Mittelman described Othram's approach: "By combining sequencing technology, genealogical analysis, and AI software into an integrated workflow, we're making it possible to solve more cases, more efficiently, and with greater precision."

The Niagara Regional Police Service Homicide Unit is asking anyone who knew LeBlanc during the 1990s or has information about her associates or whereabouts to call 289-248-1058.