Deep River stabbing: suspect still unidentified, police warn against misinformation

Ontario police are investigating a stabbing in Deep River that left a woman in critical condition, urging the public not to share unverified suspect information online.

Deep River stabbing: OPP warns public over spread of unverified suspect information

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have not yet identified a suspect in the stabbing of a woman in Deep River, eastern Ontario, and are urging the public to stop circulating unconfirmed information, cbc.ca reports.

The incident occurred Wednesday afternoon in the McElligott Drive area of the small town near Pembroke. Police issued a shelter-in-place order that evening, which remained in effect for nearly 20 hours.

The victim was taken first to a local hospital, then transferred to a trauma centre in Ottawa. As of Friday afternoon, her condition remained life-threatening, OPP spokesperson Sgt. Erin Cranton told CBC News. Police have declined to release further details about her "to protect that family's privacy."

Despite "unverified information, images and video circulating on social media that claim to identify or describe a suspect," police said in a Friday news release that no suspect has been confirmed. OPP and town police asked members of the public to stop sharing that material and to remove anything they had already posted.

"The spread of unconfirmed information can directly interfere with the investigation, impact witness evidence, and hinder police efforts to identify those responsible," police said.

Cranton noted that the investigation is currently centred on Deep River, though she did not rule out that leads could take investigators elsewhere. She also could not confirm whether police are looking for one or more suspects.

"There's a lot of video footage and witness accounts and information that we need to go through," Cranton said. "Not releasing information regarding a suspect is not a desire to not share that information. It is simply to protect the integrity of the investigation and ensure that we can identify a suspect and hold that person or persons accountable."

Residents are still being asked to avoid McElligott Drive between Banting Drive and Granite Lane.

Deep River Mayor Suzanne D'Eon said she no longer feels the acute anxiety she experienced during the shelter-in-place order, but acknowledged there is still "a heightened sense of caution" across the community of roughly 4,200 people. Some residents have returned to daily routines — going to work, running errands, attending school — while a visible police presence remains, including officers stationed at the town's council chambers.

"The police is taking this very seriously and it's a significant, significant operation going on to deal with what happened, who did it, whatever," D'Eon said.

The mayor said she does not know the identity of the victim, but expressed confidence in the community's response once that information becomes public. "Knowing our community, it will rally behind the victim and their family as soon as it's public who the victim is and how they're doing," she said.

D'Eon and her council colleagues first learned of the stabbing while in a meeting Wednesday afternoon, around the time police were responding to the scene.

Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)