Police in Ontario are investigating the murders of eight seniors at nursing homes in London and Woodstock and a former registered nurse has been charged with eight counts of first-degree murder.
The investigation began on September 29th, 2016, when the Woodstock Police Service received information that eight people had been murdered over a period of several years. Due to the nature of the allegations, a multi-jurisdictional Major Case Manager was contacted.
A nurse employed at the facilities, 49-year-old Elizabeth Tracey Mae Wettlaufer of Woodstock, is charged with eight counts of First Degree Murder.
She appeared at the Ontario Court of Justice in Woodstock today and was remanded into custody.
The names of the victims, their age, and their respective care facility are: Name (Age) Facility Date of Death
James SILCOX (84) Caressant Care – Woodstock August 17, 2007
Maurice GRANAT (84) Caressant Care - Woodstock December 23, 2007
Gladys MILLARD (87) Caressant Care – Woodstock October 14, 2011
Helen MATHESON (95) Caressant Care – Woodstock October 27, 2011
Mary ZURAWINSKI (96) Caressant Care – Woodstock November 7, 2011
Helen YOUNG (90) Caressant Care – Woodstock July 14, 2013
Maureen PICKERING (79) Caressant Care – Woodstock March 28, 2014
Arpad HORVATH (75) Meadow Park – London August 31, 2014
Here are some facts about nursing homes in Ontario:
626: Number of nursing homes in the province
76,569: Number of beds available in provincial long-term care homes
23,443: Number of patients on the wait list for a long-term care bed as of May 2015
97: Percentage of residents with two or more chronic conditions
$334 million: Amount of money designated to the Southwest Local Health Integration Network, which funds the homes at the heart of the homicide investigation.
$3.6 billion: Total provincial funds transferred to Local Health Integration Networks for long-term care homes
With files from Canadian Press.
Source: 2015, 2015/16 Ontario government public accounts/Statistics from the Ontario Long-Term Care Association
