IDENTIFIED: GORDON SANDERSON
Tofield Sam John Doe was identified as Gordon Edwin Sanderson on June 2021. He is survived by his sister and daughter.
Gordon Sanderson was a part of the 'sixties scoop'; a program where Indigenous children were taken from their families and placed in Caucasian homes. He had been separated from his siblings at that time.
Police are still looking for Gordon Sanderson's killer(s). They may have been involved in other criminal activity with him. Anyone with information is encouraged to reach out to the Tofield RCMP at 1(780) 662-3353 or Crime Stoppers' Online Submission.
Information Prior to Identification:
Key Information:
Alias:
Tofield John Doe
Sam Doe
Septic Tank Sam
Location Found:
Remote Tofield / Lindbrook field,
Tofield, Alberta
Date Found:
April 13, 1977
Date of Death:
Four months prior
Age:
26-40 yo
Sex:
Male
Race:
Indigenous or Caucasian
Hair Colour:
Brown
Eye Colour:
Unknown
Height:
5'5-5'7
Weight:
145-165 lbs
Clothing:
Blue Levi's shirt with snap buttons,
Grey or white t-shirt,
Blue jeans,
Grey wool work socks,
Imitation brown Wallabee shoes
Additional Information:
Recent dental work
Right handed
An illness at age 5
Dental / DNA:
DNA available
Circumstances of Finding:
While looking to replace a pump in their own septic tank with one from an abandoned farm's septic tank, a local resident and his wife came across the remains of John Doe. It is suspected that the septic tank was simply a dumpsite as there was no evidence of a crime in the abandoned farmhouse.
Investigators suspect that John Doe was not from the area; potentially a farm worker or a handy man based on his clothing. It is likely that locals to the area were involved in his death as they knew the remote area where he was found.
Circumstances of Death:
John Doe was found in an abandoned septic tank. He had been beaten, burned, and sexually assaulted before being shot twice in the head and the chest. His body was then wrapped in a yellow bedsheet and tied with nylon rope before being places head-down in the septic tank. He was covered in limestone to quicken decomposition.