Temistocle “Temy” Fernandez Casas was a Cuban man in his early 30s who investigators believe was killed sometime in 1997 or 1998. He had come to Canada from Cuba on a tourist visa in April 1992, arriving in Quebec. Although his remains were eventually discovered in Conception Bay South, Newfoundland and Labrador, police have found no records showing when, why, or even how Casas traveled from Quebec to Newfoundland. That unexplained gap in his movements remains one of the central mysteries surrounding his homicide.
In May 2001, human remains later determined to belong to Casas were discovered in a wooded area off Minerals Road in Conception Bay South. The discovery included his severed head, and investigators classified the death as a homicide. The remainder of his body was never located. Because police had no identification for him, the victim became known for more than two decades as the “Conception Bay John Doe” or “Minerals Man.” Investigators conducted searches, compared the case with missing-person reports, examined DNA and dental information, and produced forensic facial reconstructions in an effort to determine who he was.
Forensic examinations initially provided only broad clues. His remains showed dark, curly, shoulder-length hair, and early examinations produced varying estimates of his age. Scientists later used carbon dating techniques on his teeth and hair, concluding that he had probably been born around 1958, with a margin of several years, and that his death had occurred during the 1990s. Isotope studies were also used in an attempt to determine where he had lived. Despite those efforts and repeated public appeals, investigators were unable to attach a name to the remains for more than 20 years.
A major change came in August 2021, when the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary began working with Othram, a forensic laboratory specializing in genetic genealogy. Scientists developed a usable DNA profile from the remains, and the profile was entered into GEDmatch. Investigators obtained a match with a fourth cousin in 2022, but that relative could not identify the victim. A much more significant match appeared in February 2024, when genetic genealogy connected the remains to a first cousin. That relationship allowed investigators to identify immediate relatives in Cuba and conduct additional DNA testing. The comparison ultimately confirmed that the unidentified homicide victim was Temistocle Fernandez Casas.
Identifying Casas answered the question of who had been found near Minerals Road, but it did not explain who killed him. Investigators have not publicly disclosed his precise cause of death, saying details of the homicide remain part of the active investigation. Police also have not explained whether Casas was killed in Newfoundland or somewhere else before his remains were taken to Conception Bay South. They have been attempting to reconstruct his activities after his arrival in Canada, particularly the final months and years of his life.
The RNC has specifically sought information from people who knew Casas and has expressed interest in locating Joanne Bergeron, a woman believed to have worked as a travel agent in Cuba before Casas came to Canada in 1992. Authorities have sought to speak with her because she may be able to provide information about Casas and his movements; publicly available police information does not identify Bergeron as a suspect or accuse her of involvement in his death. No other individual has been publicly identified as a suspect in the homicide.
As of May 2026, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary reported that there had been no further significant movement in the case. No arrest has been announced, no one has been publicly charged with Casas's killing, and there has therefore been no trial or conviction connected to his homicide. Investigators continue trying to determine how Casas came to Newfoundland, where the killing occurred, what happened to the remainder of his remains, and who was responsible for his death.
