News Release
SIU Terminates Investigation into Death of Woman in Zorra Township
Case Number: 18-PCD-227
Other News Releases Related to Case 18-PCD-227
The Acting Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into the death last month of a 39-year-old woman in Zorra, a township in Oxford County.
On the morning of July 28, 2018, an Ontario Provincial Police officer with the Oxford detachment spoke with the woman by phone and asked her to turn herself in, in relation to an investigation. Despite promising she would, the woman did not come to the detachment and did not answer the officer’s phone calls. At approximately 9 a.m. the following day, the officer attended the woman’s residence, but no one opened the door or answered when he called. The officer left a phone message, informing the woman that he would be back with a warrant. Shortly thereafter, the woman’s boyfriend and another friend found the woman in a shed on the property. She had committed suicide.
Acting Director Martino said, “The evidence indicates the woman’s death was solely the result of a suicidal act, and therefore there is patently nothing further to investigate as far as any potential criminal liability on the part of any police officers is concerned in connection with her death. As such, I have terminated the investigation into this incident.”
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (police officers as well as special constables with the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service) that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, the Director of the SIU must
- consider whether the official has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
- depending on the evidence, cause a criminal charge to be laid against the official where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid
- publicly report the results of its investigations