Police investigate 'suspicious' death of care-home patient in Abbotsford, B.C.

The Abbotsford Police Department says it is investigating the "suspicious" death of a patient who had been living in a care home in the city.

AbbyPD says the Abbotsford Regional Hospital called police 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 say one of the patients died on July 10. The Abbotsford major crime unit then took conduct of the investigation.

Police say detectives are in the early stages of a "complex case" and they are working closely with Menno Home to "uncover the circumstances surrounding these medical events."

In a statement, Menno Place said they are deeply concerned about the situation, and that both patients "were experiencing medical emergencies that raised concerns for the medical staff."

Additional safety measures were implemented immediately after they became aware of the situation, the statement said.

It went on to say they are limited in providing more information about the situation because it is under investigation.

AbbyPD Sgt. Paul Walker told CBC News on Thursday morning that the investigation involves "a lot of medical-related data to determine what led up to the patient's death." 

Walker said he could not disclose the residents' genders or ages due to privacy reasons, but that Menno is home to an "older group of retirees and older individuals."

The B.C. Care Providers Association, which supports long-term care and assisted living providers as well as independent living and private home health operators, told CBC News in an email that they are waiting for more information on the incident before commenting publicly. 

The Menno Place website says Menno Home is one of two residential care homes on the grounds. It says the home is governed by the Mennonite Benevolent Society.

The home receives its primary funding through the Fraser Health Authority, it says.