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Septic Tank Sam lies in an unmarked grave in an Edmonton cemetery, his identity no less a mystery then when his tortured body was pulled from a rural septic tank on a spring day in 1977.

But 40 years after Sam met his grisly end, cold case investigators hope a new national DNA database will give fresh leads on who he was — and who killed him.

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Set to launch in 2018, the RCMP’s national children and missing persons unidentified remains database will allow investigators to compare DNA from unidentified human remains to DNA from living relatives who offer a sample in hopes of finding answers about a missing loved one.

Staff Sgt. Jason Zazulak, with the Alberta RCMP’s historical homicide unit, said the chances the database will yield a break in the case are slim. But the prospect is still exciting.

“We knew about DNA technology from our friends in the lab,” he said. “What (law enforcement) had to do was build the proper legal framework so those (samples) could be used and compared. It’s very exciting to be on the brink of that happening.”