Canada - Edgar "Iggy" Leonardo, 36, Vancouver, 23 Aug 2003

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http://dailyxtra.com/vancouver/news/still-arrests-3635

"Who killed Edgar Leonardo?
Why?

That's the question Tracy Tomic asks herself over and over when she thinks of her late friend Edgar Leonardo, who was last seen alive Aug 23, 2003.

The case of the 36-year-old's killing remains one of Vancouver’s unsolved cases, but for Tomic, it’s part of her reality.

"It kind of never really went away," she tells Xtra.

The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) assures the community that no unsolved homicide case is ever closed.

Tomic says it was she and Leonardo’s landlady who found his body in his West End apartment four days after he failed to show up for work at Air Canada.

"He didn't show up for work, which wasn't normal," Tomic recalls. "He was a workaholic."
 
http://mediareleases.vpd.ca/2004/07/06/august-2003-homicide/

"July 6, 2004

Det. Rich Akin, of the Vancouver Police Department Homicide Unit, made a plea for public assistance in the death of Edgar Leonardo, whose body was found in his apartment at 1601 Comox St. on August 27th of last year. Media attention was focused on the Kelowna firestorms at the time and a need for new leads has necessitated another request for information from the public.
Edgar Leonardo was last seen at his family residence in East Vancouver on August 23, 2003, when he left to go home. His body was discovered inside his apartment by a friend on August 27th. He was 36-years-old.
Edgar was a new member to the gay community and frequented coffee shops and internet cafes in the West End. He is described as being well-loved, friendly and social. Police believe he may have been murdered by someone he met.
Delany's on Denman is graciously hosting a Crimestoppers Re-enactment tonight at 7:00. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Vancouver Police Department Major Crime Section at 604-717-2500 or the Crimestoppers Tips Line at 1-800-222-8477."

rbbm
.
 
From:
http://theprovince.com/news/local-news/vancouver-police-hope-new-technology-will-lead-to-arrest-in-2003-murder

Vancouver police hope new technology will lead to arrest in2003 murder

[…]

Vancouver police provided Parabon with DNA seized from theWest End apartment where Edgar (Iggy) Leonardo, 36, was killed 14 years agothis month. Investigators released the resulting Snapshot sketch exclusively toPostmedia News, hoping it will generate some clues about a person of interestthey believe had been with the victim.

[…]


poster-for-vpd-bc-2003-218969-snapshot-pdf.jpg
 
Wow, this is big news and perhaps of interest in other cases too!! imo, speculation

http://vancouversun.com/news/crime/...technology-will-lead-to-arrest-in-2003-murder
Police have not been able to put a name to DNA found at the crime scene. There was no match in the national crime database, so the person who left it behind has never been convicted of a crime. Forty-five people who knew Leonardo have been checked out by investigators, but all were eliminated as possible suspects.

Detectives don’t know the name of the man they’re looking for, but science tells them he is most likely northwestern European with fair skin, blue/green eyes and blond/brown hair with some freckles.

Heard hopes, as the city prepares to celebrate the annual Pride Parade on Aug. 6, that the composite sketch will jog some memories. Perhaps someone saw Leonardo with a similar-looking person, and perhaps witnesses who were unwilling to come forward in 2003 might be more willing now.

“I’m hoping now with the passage of time — people’s memories, maybe more acceptance of the lifestyle now — that people will be willing to step forward to help us solve this case,” said Heard, who along with his now-retired partner remains committed to making an arrest.

“I think there are a number of people out there who at the time may have been living a dual life, when now they could be more open and more willing to come forward with information.”
By day, he was known as responsible, dependable Edgar, a hard-working employee who loved to take advantage of his job’s travelling perks.

By night, he became Iggy, his hip alternate identity. He would cruise Davie and Granville streets giving men business cards with his nickname, phone number and a picture of the raging bull from his Taurus astrological sign.
“Iggy was everything that Edgar wasn’t,” Heard said. When he was murdered, police identified the victim as Edgar, but now believe the Iggy moniker is important because he may have been known only by that name in the gay community.
He usually went out alone and liked the Venus Club on Main Street and the Kitten Theatre on Granville. He was also a regular at coffee shops and other businesses along Davie Street.

The next day — Sunday, Aug. 24 — Edgar’s red Honda Accord was found blocking a car in his building’s parking lot. He didn’t have a designated spot, so would sometimes double-park at night and then move the car the next morning.

Police believe he met someone on Saturday night, brought the man back to his apartment, and was dead before sunrise.

All other leads have been exhausted. Officers have interviewed a hundred people for this case, travelling to Ontario and Alberta multiple times, tested more than 40 DNA samples, issued a $10,000 reward and released a CrimeStoppers video.

Anyone with information should phone Vancouver police homicide at 604-717-2500. If you required anonymity, call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
 
Bumping for Edgar, a suspect has been arrested for murders of gay men in Toronto, maybe one day soon an arrest can be made in this case too.
 
Wondering if accused killer Bruce McArthur was in Vancouver on the dates referenced below? speculation, imo.
https://www.dailyxtra.com/unsolved-gay-murder-21759
By Jeremy Hainsworth Apr 25, 2006
attachment.php

Akin has long suspected the death was the result of a bad date.The detective is specifically interested in information on the 36-year-old Leonardo’s last days between Aug 23 and Aug 27. Leonardo was last seen around 9:30 pm Aug 23, 2003, as he was leaving his family’s East Vancouver house after dinner.

Akin says Leonardo liked to meet men in coffee shops, mainly in the West End. He also apparently liked to cruise after midnight at an adult theatre on Main St, as well as at English Bay.

Part of the problem might be that Leonardo was not very well known in the gay community, Akin suggests. However, he remains optimistic that someone will call with a vital tip.
rbbm.
 

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First thing, I find it interesting that people are "linking" Bruce McArthur to this case, however, again ....I see no evidence he was in Vancouver, BC at this time? Anyone?

This was a man who was clearly just wanting to live a happy life. I think the fact that he was gay and used his "evening persona" of Iggy had everything to do with his death. Obviously, here is a guy who was passing out his card to numerous men, playing the scene and going out often. I don't think there is anytime in history when that has been a good idea, whether homosexual or not.

So no question he knows the person he brings back to his apartment. There isn't any signs of a struggle apparently until they come upon the bedroom in his apartment. So the plan had been for a some kind of sexual involvement, which either went horribly wrong or was premeditated. Makes me think this individual would have been struggling with his own sexuality and ended up in a rage?

It is always hard to know completely as something is ALWAYS held back by the police, for obvious reasons. Let's hope that one day .....something surfaces that answers this cold case mystery .....
 
No proof thus far that BM ever went to BC or if he did, when he may gone, just me speculating at this point.
Just trying to warm up a cold case while eyes are on murders involving mostly gay men.
imo.
 
May 30 2019 rbbm lengthy article.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/brit...er-dna-vancouver-cold-case-leonardo-1.5145144
vpd-cold-case.jpg

Vancouver homicide investigator Sgt. Mike Heard holds a picture of Edgar Leonardo, who was killed in his Vancouver apartment in 2003. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

"For the first time, a Canadian police force has confirmed it's using the same genetic genealogy technique that finally caught the suspected Golden State Killer to solve a cold case of its own.

Vancouver police have hired U.S. firm Parabon NanoLabs to search all available genealogical records in hopes of finding any link to a suspected killer's DNA. The sample was collected in the West End apartment where Edgar Leonardo's body was found in 2003.

Parabon scours public genealogical sites such as GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA, which allow police to access their databanks. Most other well-known DNA testing companies don't co-operate with law enforcement without search warrants."


Police think Leonardo met someone in Vancouver's gay village late on the night of Aug. 23, 2003, and brought him home.

"And that's when he was murdered in here," said Heard, gesturing up at the seven-storey building. Police aren't releasing details about how Leonardo was killed or where exactly his body was found in his apartment.

Heard said police have good DNA evidence, but it doesn't match anything in the Canadian law enforcement databank, which only includes DNA records of convicted criminals.

But he's optimistic that with recent breakthroughs using genetic genealogy, they will soon find their suspect."

"A spokesperson wrote: "When it comes to public databases (i.e. ancestry.ca), the RCMP is aware that some Canadian police agencies are currently exploring the use of genetic genealogy in criminal investigations. This includes the RCMP."

Back in Vancouver, Sgt. Mike Heard is convinced genetic genealogy will help solve the Leonardo cold case, as well as many other unsolved crimes across the country.

"I'm a firm believer," he said.

After all, it only takes one match with a distant relative."
 
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Jul 10, 2018 lengthy.rbbm
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Sgt. Mike Heard (left), holding a drawing of 'person of interest', and retired homicide detective Ron Symes (at right) in Vancouver, B.C., July 5, 2017. PHOTO BY ARLEN REDEKOP /PNG

''Leonardo was a gay man with an active social life, and Heard believes the murder in his Comox Street apartment in Aug. 2003 was a crime of passion. (He will not reveal the cause of death because of the ongoing investigation).''

''Police have not been able to put a name to DNA found at the crime scene. There was no match in the national crime database, so the person who left it behind has never been convicted of a crime. Forty-five people who knew Leonardo have been checked out by investigators, but all were eliminated as possible suspects.''
''Detectives don’t know the name of the man they’re looking for, but science tells them he is most likely northwestern European with fair skin, blue/green eyes and blond/brown hair with some freckles.''

''Edgar, who was on the dean’s list, dreamed of being a doctor, but his family couldn’t afford the years of tuition. Instead, the gregarious young man became a successful pharmaceutical drug salesman.''

''Police believe he met someone on Saturday night, brought the man back to his apartment, and was dead before sunrise''.
 

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