Police watchdog probes sudden death of woman in Eastern Ontario

Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is probing the circumstances surrounding the sudden death of a 49-year-old woman in eastern Ontario.

According to a news release from the SIU, Frontenac OPP officers came across a suspicious vehicle in South Frontenac Township, located north of Kingston, Ont., around 1 a.m. on Jan. 13. The driver fled on foot and police encountered the woman outside the vehicle. The officers transported the woman to her home and left. At about 5:30 a.m., paramedics were called to the woman’s residence in Tichborne where she was found dead. The cause of her death has not been released. At the time, an OPP news release called it a sudden death.

The police watchdog agency has invoked its mandate to investigate the woman’s death.  As a result, the OPP says it will not provide any further comments or information about the case.

The SIU has assigned two investigators and one forensic investigator to probe the incident and is urging anyone with information about the investigation, including anyone who may have video evidence, to contact them at 1-800-787-8529.

The SIU is an arm’s-length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been a death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.