Campbell River man arrested in connection to numerous sexual assaults in Ontario

A Campbell River man has been arrested in connection to several sexual assaults that occurred in Ontario, dating back to 1997.

The investigation which led to the suspect’s arrest lasted nearly three decades, and was dubbed ‘Project Aerial’ by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

During an OPP press conference, investigators revealed that evidence led them to work with police on Vancouver Island, which resulted in the accused being arrested in Campbell River. 

The investigation began in 1997 when four victims came forward to police alleging sexual assault by the accused. Three of these victims were teenagers at the time of their assault, aged between 15 and 16-years-old. 

The assaults occurred in Lambton County, Kent County, Chatham County and Sarnia between March and August 1997. 

Police say that all incidents involved the accused picking up or abducting the young women before taking them to a remote location and sexually assaulting them, and finally leaving the victims behind.

To protect their privacy, the victims’ identities are not being shared by investigators. 

According to OPP, the assaults were initially thought to be separate incidents and not connected, but were all eventually linked. 

“Advancements in DNA technology and resulting forensic analysis by the Centre of Forensic Sciences linked four assaults to the same individual,” said Det. Insp. Michael Moore, OPP. 

“That was the turning point. From there, our team used investigative genetic genealogy and employed other investigative techniques to identify a suspect: an individual living in British Columbia.”

On Sunday, October 26th, OPP and Campbell River RCMP arrested 52-year-old Jason Timothy Davidson, and charged him with 15 Criminal Code offences.

These offences include one count of kidnapping, four counts of forcible confinement, three counts of utter threats, three counts of sexual assault, one count of sexual assault causing bodily harm, one count of sexual assault with a weapon, one count of aggravated sexual assault and one count of theft. 

Davidson reportedly moved to Vancouver Island in 2017.

“While we know nothing can erase the pain that these survivors have endured, we hope that these charges bring some measure of resolution to them and their families,” said Moore. 

Police have shared a photo of the accused from 1997, along with a current picture, in the hopes that anyone who may have additional information will come forward to OPP.