OPP confirm remains recovered from Lake Ontario those of man missing since 1983

After a vehicle containing human remains was discovered in Lake Ontario earlier this year – and subsequently recovered – the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have now released the identity of the deceased.

The Lennox and Addington (L&A) County Detachment of the OPP announced on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, that the remains, recovered by their team with the assistance of the OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Unit, have now been positively identified as those of David Hannah.

Hannah, a resident of the Millhaven area, was reported missing in 1983, having last been seen withdrawing money from the Federal Services Credit Union in Kingston. An indigenous male, and correctional officer at Millhaven Institution, Hannah was 36 at the time of his disappearance.

As previously reported, the OPP announced on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, that a large police presence should be expected in the area of Highway 33 in Amherstview, as well as at Collins Bay Road and County Road 6. During the recovery of a vehicle from Lake Ontario near Amherstview earlier in the year, the OPP had discovered another vehicle in the water, as well as human remains within the vehicle, the OPP said at the time. The recovery was completed in two days.

More than 35 years after Hannah’s disappearance, the investigation and subsequent discovery of the deceased remain ongoing by members of the L&A OPP Crime Unit, under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch, in conjunction with the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario and Centre of Forensic Sciences, police said on Tuesday, May 17, 2023.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the L&A OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or online at Crimestoppers.ca.