Woodstock, Ont. police chief speaks out after murder charges against former nurse
'Time heals. No different than the other major tragic events we've had'
The police chief in Woodstock, Ont. is reaching out to his community one day after charges were laid against a former nurse accused of murdering eight elderly people.
Chief William Renton was part of a trio of senior police officials who announced eight first-degree charges against Elizabeth Tracy Mae Wettlaufer Tuesday.
Wettlaufer worked at the Caressant Care facility in Woodstock and Meadow Lake in London, Ont.
- CAMH staff alerted police about former nurse now charged in Woodstock killings
- Former nurse facing 8 murder charges in deaths of elderly patients
- 'I couldn't believe it's real:' Residents of Woodstock, Ont. facility stunned by murder charges
"What I want people to understand is Woodstock is an amazing community," Renton told CBC News Wednesday "It's a vibrant, caring community. I don't want the actions of one person to define it."
Renton said the eight first-degree murder charges Wettlaufer is facing are the most since the Bandidos mass killings in 2006. The deaths Wettlaufer is allegedly responsible for spanned 2007 through 2014. The individuals were between the ages of 75 and 96.
There were no reports against Caressant Care in Woodstock, or Meadow Park in London — the two facilities where the eight individuals died — made to the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services.
Her file with the College of Nurses of Ontario also showed no prior disciplinary actions against her, until she resigned Sept. 30, one day after the OPP say their investigation began.
The charges against Wettlaufer came one day after the Ontario court of appeals denied the appeal of the convicted killer of Victoria Stafford, a Woodstock girl.
Renton was the lead investigator with the Ontario Provincial Police in the investigation into Stafford's death seven years ago. He said the community will use its experience from that case now.
"Time heals. No different than other major tragic events we've had," Renton said. "The actions of one person can't define us all or cause concern in our facilities here."
"People will rally together and understand these circumstances will be dealt with through the judicial systems and the courts," he said. "Once you see the circumstances, you see the majority of people in Woodstock are good people."