Mystery solved: Babes in the Woods identified after nearly 70 years

Derek and David D’Alton, the Babes in the Woods (VPD)

Editor’s note: The following article contains information that may be disturbing to some readers.

After nearly 70 years, the oldest unsolved mysteries in Vancouver history, known as the Babes in the Woods, has finally had a breakthrough.

Through complex DNA forensic technology, the babes have been identified, and their names are Derek and David D’Alton.

The two children have now been confirmed to be brothers. David and Derek were only six and seven years old at the time of their deaths. They were bludgeoned by a hatchet, covered in a women’s coat, and then concealed by thick brush that had grown around their bodies after passing.

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The story of the Babes in the Woods has seen much folklore in Vancouver. It’s a popular story to talk about around Halloween due to its mysterious nature. But at the heart of the case were two dead children, who were never known by name until now.

Last month, Eve Lazarus told Daily Hive about a significant update in the case. Vancouver Police partnered with a Massachusetts-based genetic genealogist company named Redgrave Research Forensic Services.

“The first attempt at sequencing DNA failed, and so we went back and did a second round of extraction and sequencing. This is the closest this case has ever been to having a usable DNA profile, and our team is feeling very hopeful, and we hope to give an update soon,” Redgrave told Lazarus.

“This is really exciting because there have been several high-profile cases that have been solved this way, including the Golden State Killer, who murdered at least 12 people and raped more than 50 over a 12-year period,” said Lazarus at the time.

Vancouver Police released a statement about the case and provided some insight into how the mystery about the babes was solved.

The breakthrough

The research team at Redgrave identified the maternal grandparents of one of the boys. From there, they constructed a family tree by comparing the victims’ DNA to people who submitted their DNA to private companies for genetic testing.

In a statement, VPD Detective Constable Aida Rodriguez said, “We knew there were good odds of finding a living family member out there somewhere.”

“But, once we discovered that DNA match, we still had a significant amount of work to do to locate family members, check school records, and confirm specific details about the victims so we could be absolutely certain about their identities.”

Police believe that the brothers were descendants of Russian immigrants who came to Canada. The victims lived in Vancouver and had a family member who lived near the entrance to Stanley Park at the time of death.

What about the killer?

Police will likely never have a concrete answer to the question of who the killer was, but they have theories.

Investigators believe that the person who killed the two young boys was a close relative who likely died nearly 25 years ago.

“At this stage in the investigation, it was never about seeing someone charged for these crimes. It was always about giving these boys a name and finally telling their story. I’m proud to be part of the team that has done that,” said VPD Inspector Dale Weidman.