Psych hospital patient charged in murder

A disagreement between two women at the North Bay Psychiatric Hospital may have led to the murder of Rita Quinlan, pictured left, North Bay Police Service inspector Mark Montgomery says.

Joline Cross, 22, of North Bay, has been charged with first degree murder in Quinlan's death, Montgomery announced at a news conference this morning.

Montgomery said while a post mortem will be held Monday to determine the exact cause of death, "at this point we are satisfied based on the evidence that the deceased was strangulated."

Quinlans's body was found on the grounds of the hospital near Roy Drive Friday night at 10:43. Montgomery said marks
were found on her neck.

Received certain disclosures
Quinlan, of North Bay, who was 56 when she died, had been discovered missing at 8 p.m., Montgomery said, and police were called in at 9:30 p.m. after a missing persons report was filed.

Montgomery said there were "disclosures made" by Cross, which led to the discovery of Quinlan's body.

Cross and Quinlan were both patients at the hospital "for a brief time, less than a month," Montgomery said, and had met in their ward.

"We have reason to believe that there was a disagreement prior to...," said Montgomery.

Montgomery said he didn't know what the disagreement had been about.

First court appearance Monday
Hunter said Quinlan had a pass to walk around the grounds and was last seen in the hospital at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

"She was exercizing her priveleges and was walking around in the fresh air, and when the night staff came on at 8 p.m. that's when they started looking for her, since she hadn't returned," Hunter said.

Cross will make her first court appearance today at 2 p.m. for a bail hearing in front of a Superior Court judge.

Montgomery said she was not known to police.

baytoday.ca will be following this story as the week progresses.