A Canadian nurse has been charged with first degree murder in the deaths of eight residents of two different nursing homes where she worked.
According to The Associated Press, registered nurse Elizabeth Tracey Mae Wettlaufer, 49, was charged with the crimes, which took place between 2007 and 2014 in Woodstock and London, Ontario. The nursing home operators are cooperating with police.
The victims, who were between the ages of 75 and 96, included three males and five females. They were believed to have been administered a drug by Wettlaufer that caused their deaths, which are still being investigated by police and officials from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, according to The Toronto Sun.
“We deeply regret the additional grief and stress this is imposing on the families resolved. We are determined to avoid compromising the police investigation in any way and are therefore unable to provide any additional comment at this time,” Lee Griffi, a spokesman for Caressant Care nursing home, where seven residents died, said in a statement published by The Toronto Sun.
Health Minister Eric Hoskins declined to answer questions from reporters about how the deaths were overlooked. “I want to reassure Ontarians that the safety and security of Ontarians, including those in long-term care homes, is my highest priority and as the police themselves said this morning, no resident of a long-term care home needs to be concerned about their safety as a result of this investigation,” The Star reported.
“We have a very rigorous process in place with annual inspections,” Hoskins added.