Dawson City RCMP officers are pursuing a hot lead in a cold case.

Const. Michael Simpson of the Historical Case Unit – he doesn’t like the term cold case – is investigating the mystery of a never-identified man whose remains were found near Dawson on May 21, 1983.

“On May 21, 1983, the remains of a man, with hairy legs, were found near the Northfork Dam, in Dawson City, Yukon,” Simpson said recently.

“The remains were buried several metres from a road by a woodland brush.”

Northfork is approximately 40 kilometres east of Dawson.

Simpson told the Star he began working the case more intensively after receiving a tip last summer.

He called the information “compelling”, as it suggested a scenario for what had happened to the man.

He declined to provide more details as to the content of the tip, saying some of the information needs to remain confidential to provide a test of the accuracy of new tips.

The case has never been closed or resolved, but it has been stymied by an inability to identify the man, Simpson said.

“I’ve been actively working it for the last few months,” he said. “The time that’s gone by makes it more challenging.”

Simpson said he believes the case hinges on identifying the man.

Once that falls into place, determining what happened to him should be a simpler task.

Simpson said he’s convinced that someone knows something about this case who has yet to come forward.

The death has been ruled suspicious, but that’s as far as the current information goes.

Those who think they have information related to the case, no matter how minor they think it is, can contact the Yukon RCMP’s historical case unit at 867-667-5500 or mdiv_hcu@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

Information can also be provided at local RCMP detachments.