The OPP say they have found no immediate links between the recent attack on a Mono, Ont. woman and the late-August murder of nearby Orangeville woman Sonia Varaschin.
Const. Peter Leon told CTV Toronto on Thursday that the OPP is treating both as independent investigations at this time, but noted the Mono investigation is at a very preliminary stage.
"With the Mono incident, it's only 48 hours old, so it's way too early to draw any comparisons," he said.
On Tuesday, a 44-year-old woman was found in her Mono home, having suffered a vicious attack. She is now in critical but stable condition in Toronto's Sunnybrook hospital.
Mono is about a 20-minute drive north of Orangeville.
Sonia Varaschin, 42, was reported missing by her employer on Aug. 30. In early September, a person walking their dog in the woods about 12 kilometres southeast of Orangeville found human remains.
An autopsy identified the remains as belonging to Varaschin and concluded that she was a homicide victim. Police found bloodstains in her home, but said there were no signs of forced entry. They also said they didn't believe her attack was a random event.
Investigators in the Varaschin case say they are looking for particular types of work boots, sized 10 or 11, with the brands sold exclusively by Mark's Work Wearhouse.
No one has been arrested yet in connection with Varaschin's murder. Leon said there is no immediate suspect that he's aware of in the Mono attack.
Chief Joseph Tomei of the Orangeville Police Service said he has not been made aware of any connection between the Mono incident and the Varaschin case.
Different OPP major-case managers are handling the Mono and Varaschin cases, but Leon said they will be conferring as the cases move forward.
