Authorities from the Ontario Provincial Police have reported that a man from British Columbia is facing charges related to a series of violent sexual assaults that occurred almost 30 years ago in various locations across southwestern Ontario.
The OPP announced on Wednesday that the arrest of 52-year-old Jason Timothy Davidson from Campbell River was made possible through Project Aerial, a collaborative investigation involving Sarnia police.
Davidson is being charged with 15 offenses, including aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping, forcible confinement, and uttering threats.
According to the police, the assaults took place between March and August 1997 in Lambton County, Kent County, and the City of Sarnia, with three of the victims being minors at the time.
Summary of the Assaults
Here is a breakdown of each incident as provided by law enforcement:
- March 26, 1997: A teenage girl was abducted in Sarnia near Exmouth Street and Indian Road, driven to a rural area in Sombra Township, and sexually assaulted before the perpetrator fled.
- May 23, 1997: Another teenage girl was picked up near Highway 21 in Thamesville by an unknown man driving a light blue or grey two-door vehicle. She was then taken to a wooded area and assaulted.
- June 7, 1997: An adult woman walking along Campbell Street in Sarnia around 2 a.m. was picked up by a man driving a red vehicle, taken to a remote area, and sexually assaulted.
- Aug. 20, 1997: A young girl walking on Grand Avenue West in Chatham was abducted and taken to Dover Township in Kent County, where she was sexually assaulted before being left at the scene.
In all instances, the suspect fled the scene in a vehicle after the assaults, leaving the victims behind.
Decades-Long Investigation
Det. Insp. Michael Moore, overseeing Project Aerial for the OPP’s Criminal Investigation Branch, noted that the cases were initially investigated separately by local police until commonalities emerged.
“Investigators quickly identified similarities in the attacks and suspect descriptions,” Moore said. “The assailant used a vehicle to transport victims to isolated areas, conducted the assaults, and then departed, leaving the victims at the scene of each incident.”
Describing the assailant as a white male in his 30s, approximately 5-foot-8 or taller, with medium brown hair, a moustache, and a distinctive nose, Moore emphasized that early DNA analysis linked two of the assaults, leading investigators to believe all four were connected.
“Despite extensive efforts and public appeals, the cases remained unresolved until this year,” Moore stated. “Advancements in DNA technology and forensic analysis ultimately tied all four assaults to the same individual.”
Law enforcement revealed that DNA evidence linked all the attacks to a single suspect, whose identity remained elusive for years. In 2024, innovative forensic methods, including genetic genealogy investigations, helped identify a suspect.
Davidson was apprehended in Campbell River on Sunday with assistance from the RCMP and Vancouver
