What we know about accused murderer Joseph Sutherland

Nearly 40 years after Joseph George Sutherland allegedly killed two women in Toronto, a 61-year-old man has been arrested.

Toronto police said Monday they have linked Sutherland's DNA to the 1983 murders of Erin Gilmour and Susan Tice in their downtown Toronto home.

Police say the suspect was on the loose for nearly 40 years until last Thursday when Sutherland was arrested by the Ontario Provincial Police.

The charges in court have not been proven.

Here's what we know about Sutherland so far.

Sutherland was living in Toronto at the time of the murders, but police have not said if Sutherland was related to the alleged victims.

Police said he was not a suspect or person of interest in the murder. He never responded to police while living in Toronto.

Portrait of Joseph George Sutherland. (Facebook/Joseph J. Sutherland)

At the time of his arrest, Sutherland was living in Moosonee, Ont. Musoni is a small northern town near James Bay, which is the southernmost tip of Hudson Bay and is approximately 850 kilometers north of Toronto.

Det. Sergeant. Stephen Smith, the lead investigator on the case, said Monday morning that Sutherland has moved throughout the province over the past 39 years, but did not specify where else he lived.

Smith said there was “no problem” with Sutherland's arrest, adding that “when you commit these crimes, you're waiting for a knock on the door.”

Smith confirmed that Sutherland has family and extended family — all of whom live in northern Ontario — but he did not elaborate on who exactly they are.

Sutherland was arrested after police said they used genetic genealogy technology from U.S.-based Othram Inc, which it said “helps investigators break through previously impenetrable forensic DNA barriers and close previously unsolved cases.”

“This fragment test — a single nucleotide polymorphism — allows us to use genes between genes to get familial linkage, and we can use it to use people who have uploaded their DNA to Family Tree DNA,” Smith said. said.

Another image of Joseph George Sutherland. (Facebook/Joseph George Sutherland)

Investigators eventually led to Sutherland and a DNA warrant was served on him. They say the tests are consistent with what was found at the murder scene decades ago.

Police said they would never have encountered Sutherland's name without the technology.

Smith said because Sutherland has lived in Ontario for 39 years since the murder, investigators are looking at “every possible connection” to any other cold case.

He said the case was probably the “most difficult” he's worked on in his 25 years with the Toronto police.

Smith said Sutherland has family and extended family living in northern Ontario, but he did not elaborate on who exactly they are.

Sutherland has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and is expected to appear in court at Old Town Hall on December 9 at 2 p.m.

With files from CTV News Toronto's Phil Tsekouras