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Hamilton man charged in 2006 Toronto cold case murder

Posted:July 30, 2026 | 12:05 PM
By: Julia Vellucci

By:Julia Vellucci

Updated: July 30, 2026 | 12:05 PM

Patrick Santos, 21, of Toronto was identified as the victim of a homicide on Sept. 17, 2006 in Toronto. (Photo Courtesy of Toronto Police Service)

Toronto police have charged a 43-year-old Hamilton man in connection with the murder of Patrick Santos in a nearly 20-year-old cold case.

On Sept. 17, 2006 at around 7:30 a.m., police responded to a call at a home in the area of Ellesmere and Bellamy roads.

Officers found a man lying on the ground with obvious signs of trauma. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators identified the victim as Patrick Santos, 21, of Toronto in the city’s 49th homicide of that year.

“Patrick was a young man. He had a job, a future ahead of him, and plans to move into his own place with his girlfriend,” said Det. Sgt. Stephen Smith of the Homicide and Missing Persons Unit – Cold Case Section.

“While nothing will ever bring Patrick back to his family, today we can say that the person alleged to be responsible for taking his life has been identified, arrested and will now have to answer for this crime before the courts.”

Since then, the Toronto Police Homicide and Missing Persons Unit, Cold Case Section, has been actively investigating this case.

While investigators developed a DNA profile from the scene, it didn’t match anyone in the National DNA databank, leaving them without a suspect at the time but opening further investigative leads.

Last year, detectives from the cold case unit were able to identify a person of interest.

Police say DNA was collected from the suspect and confirmed a match to the DNA evidence left at the scene of the homicide in 2006.