Six additional charges have been laid against a former Woodstock nurse already accused of murdering eight seniors at long-term care facilities in Ontario.
Elizabeth Tracy Mae Wettlaufer was charged in September with eight counts of first-degree murder in connection with the death of seven seniors at the Caressant Care facility in Woodstock and one at Meadow Park long-term care home in London, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police announced Friday that 49-year-old Wettlaufer is now facing six additional charges – four counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault.
The new charges stem from allegations about four patients in her care at Caressant Care in Woodstock, one at Telfer Place in Brant County and one at a private residence in Oxford County.
The new alleged offences occurred between June 2007 and August 2016.
The initial eight deaths are said to have occurred between 2007 and 2014.
All patients ranged in age from 57 to 96.
Police identified the new victims at Caressant Care as Clotilde Adriano, 87, Albina deMedeiros, 90, Wayne Hedges, 57, and Michael Priddle, 63.
The victim at Telfer Place has been identified as 77-year-old Sandra Towler, and the victim from a private residence in Oxford County as 68-year-old Beverly Bertram.
Investigators said Friday that four of the six victims – Adriano, deMedeiros, Hedges and Priddle – have died since the probe began, though they’ve confirmed their cause of death is not linked to Wettlaufer.
CTV News Toronto has learned that Adriano and deMedeiros were sisters who lived at the same facility.
Yesterday, OPP confirmed to CTV News that investigators in the case have not ruled out the possibility of exhuming bodies as part of the investigation.
Police previously said that the eight initial victims likely died after they were administered a drug.
OPP wouldn’t speak to whether a drug was administered to the new victims, but court documents accuse the suspect of injecting them with insulin while they were in her care.
“It’s a very intense investigation and obviously there’s still a lot more questions than answers,” OPP Sgt. David Rektor told reporters outside the courtroom. “But it’s an ongoing investigation and it’s one that all the services are joint in looking at and working together.”
Rektor wouldn’t speculate whether more charges could be laid against Wettlaufer but said the OPP “continue to receive tips and information.”
Police also haven’t commented on a motive.
Wettlaufer briefly appeared in a Woodstock court in person Friday to face the new allegations. She was remanded in custody until another court date scheduled for Feb. 15.
A CTV News Toronto reporter inside the courtroom said the victim’s family members stared at Wettlaufer as she sat in prison’s box.
The son of Arpad Horvath, one of the first alleged victims in the case, told CP24 at the courthouse Friday morning that his family has been struggling since their loved one was named as a victim in the case.
“It's pretty hard when you lose your best friend and your hero, but I’ve done the best I can to hold it together. I’m going to keep holding it together until this is resolved, which it probably won’t be for a long time,” Arpad Horvath Jr. said.
“It was devastating (to see the suspect). It really made me angry. I’ve never been, in my entire life, that angry. I’ve never had so much hatred for a human being on this planet,” he said after he left the courtroom.
“There’s got be something wrong to do that,” he said. “Nobody in this world should be able to play God.”
Nursing home operator releases statement
Revera Inc., the company that operates Telfer Place in Paris, Ont., said in a statement that the company is “shocked and saddened to learn of the new charges,” and that the resident involved in the allegations at their facility is “doing well.”
“To our knowledge, there are no further incidents under investigation at Telfer Place or any other Revera home at this time,” John Beaney, the vice president of operations for Ontario, said in the statement.
Revera Inc. also operates Brierwood Gardens in Brantford and Dover Cliffs in Port Dover. The company confirmed to CTV News back in October that Wettlaufer also had temporary contracts at both locations between 2015 and 2016.
“Like everyone in the long term care community, which is made up of deeply committed and caring people, this case has been disturbing to all of us,” Beaney said.
