Homicide investigators take over case of 'suspicious' B.C. care-home death

Homicide investigators have taken over the case of a "suspicious" death at a residential care home in Abbotsford, B.C., police said Tuesday.

The Abbotsford Police Department said last week that it received a call from a local hospital on July 6 about two patients who had been transferred from Menno Home while experiencing "medical emergencies that raised concerns due to their suspicious nature."

Police said one of the patients died on July 10, and the Abbotsford major crime unit was working closely with Menno Home to "uncover the circumstances surrounding these medical events."

On Tuesday, police said the case is being transitioned to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT), the homicide investigative service in 29 RCMP communities and four municipal police communities.

In a statement issued last week, Menno Place said it is deeply concerned about the situation, and that both patients "were experiencing medical emergencies that raised concerns for the medical staff."

Menno Home is one of two residential care homes on the Menno Place grounds, according to its website. The site says the home is governed by the Mennonite Benevolent Society, and receives its primary funding through the Fraser Health Authority.

Menno Place said additional safety measures were implemented immediately after it became aware of the situation.

In its statement, it said it is limited in providing more information about the situation because it is under investigation.

B.C.'s seniors' advocate said the case appears to be an isolated incident and the general public is not at risk. 

"I'm confident that the police investigation will work through the process and we'll have a result that will be shared with the public," said Dan Levitt at an unrelated news conference on Tuesday.

Abbotsford police said IHIT will provide updates on the case.