Image copyrightAFPImage captionMs Wettlaufer leaves court with police
A 49-year-old nursing home worker in Ontario has been charged with eight counts of first-degree murder spanning several years.
Elizabeth Tracey Mae Wettlaufer of Woodstock, Ontario, appeared in court on Tuesday morning.
The victims were residents in two long-term care facilities where Ms Wettlaufer worked and were between 75 and 96 years old.
Police said seven of the victims were given a fatal dose of a drug.
The victims were five women and three men and were all residents of Caressant Care in Woodstock and Meadow Park in London, Ontario.
"The victims were administered a drug... there are obviously a number of drugs that are stored and are available in long-term care facilities," Woodstock Police Chief William Renton said at a news conference.
The chief declined to comment on a possible motive, but did add that investigators are confident that they have identified all victims.
Media captionCanadian police offer condolences over care home deaths
Caressant spokesman Lee Griffi said the accused was a registered nurse and left their employment approximately two and a half years ago.
"We deeply regret the additional grief and stress this is imposing on the families involved," Mr Griffi said in a written statement.
Ms Wettlaufer was also an employee at Christian Horizons, the long-term care facility confirmed.
A spokesperson for the organisation, which was not named in the police investigation, said she stopped working for them in 2007.
"Christian Horizons fully intends to cooperate with the authorities in their investigation in this matter," said chief executive Janet Noel-Annable in a statement.
Image copyrightFACEBOOKImage captionThe accused had posted on social media about her struggles with alcohol addiction
Ms Wettlaufer says on her Facebook profile that she studied religious education at London Baptist Bible College before she went to nursing school at Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ontario. She lists Lifeguard Homecare as her current employer. A representative from Lifeguard Homecare has yet to respond to the BBC's calls.
On the College of Nurses of Ontario website, Ms Wettlaufer's profile states that she became a registered nurse in August 1995 and then resigned on 30 September 2016.
The profile also lists Parker as her former surname, and has recently been updated to note that she is facing murder charges and is remanded in custody.
Ms Wettlaufer frequently posted pictures of herself on social media with her elderly parents, and described her passion for animals and the Harry Potter series.
"Father's day is a great reminder of how blessed I am to still have my Dad alive and able to spend time with me", she wrote beneath a picture of her father.
In another post, dated 28 September 2015, Ms Werrlaufer spoke about her difficulties overcoming alcoholism.
"My own voice called to me in the darkness. Others hands lifted me when I chose the light. One year ago today I woke up not dead. 365 days clean and sober," she wrote.
The deaths took place between 2007 and 2014.
Police have identified the victims as:
- James Silcox, 84 (died 2007)
- Maurice Granat, 84 (died 2007)
- Gladys Millard, 87 (died 2011)
- Helen Matheson, 95 (died 2011)
- Mary Zurawinski, 96 (died 2011)
- Helen Young, 90 (died 2013)
- Maureen Pickering, 79 (died 2014)
- Arpad Harvath, 75 (died 2014)
Image copyrightGOOGLEImage captionPolice say the victims lived in two different long-term care facilities
Police revealed little details about the motive or circumstances surrounding the deaths, but said that the investigation into all eight deaths started on 29 September after police in Woodstock received certain information.
The criminal case is the largest in Ontario province since 2006, when five men were charged for murdering eight members of the Bandidos biker gang.
All five of the accused men were convicted in 2009.
The investigation was a joint effort between Woodstock Police Service, London Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police.
Police said they do not know if there are other victims, but that the nurse worked in other facilities. They are urging the public to come forward if they have any information.
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