Episode 515: “Septic Tank Sam”

Septic Tank Sam was the nickname given to an unidentified murder victim found on April 13, 1977, in a disused septic tank on an abandoned farm near Tofield, Alberta. Because investigators could not identify him for decades, he became known as “Septic Tank Sam".

In 2021, advances in forensic genealogy finally led to a major breakthrough in this case, but that doesn't mean the case is closed, there's still work to be done!

If you have any information about Gordon Sanderson’s movements around the time of his death in the spring of 1977, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Alberta RCMP at 780‑412‑5424. No tip is too small.

Sources for this episode:

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/1977-homicide-victim-cold-case-identified-edmonton

https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/trending/septic-tank-sam-canadian-police-id-victim-of-1977-torture-murder-using-dna-genetic-genealogy/article_e99df335-38aa-5627-bf8f-cf9951945a63.html

https://crimesandcuriosities.medium.com/septic-tank-sam-a-vicious-murder-that-remained-a-mystery-for-44-years-14dfc5211f0d

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/septic-tank-sam-killed-1977-1.6083537

https://dnasolves.com/articles/septic-tank-sam/

https://thoughtcatalog.com/christine-stockton/2021/07/a-decades-long-canadian-murder-mystery-known-as-the-septic-tank-sam-case-has-been-solved/

https://medium.com/the-mystery-box/gordie-sanderson-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-a-tragic-cold-case-cba9dcaef44a

https://www.thetruecrimedatabase.com/case_file/septic-tank-sam/