Woman charged in death, police kept quiet

BRANTFORD, Ont. — A woman was killed in Brantford, Ont. More than a year ago and local police took the exceedingly rare step of not notifying citizens or appealing for public information as they investigated.

Months later, a grieving loved one spoke out in the online comment section of The Brantford Expositor newspaper, leading police to acknowledge the previously undisclosed killing.

And now, more than a year after Shannon Macdougall was slain, investigators say a person is charged in the death of the 37-year-old mother of two, who was found dead in a home last March 11.

Christine Birt is charged with second-degree murder, Brantford police said. Police this week thanked the public for providing information in the case — raising anew questions about why citizens weren’t notified of the homicide, as is standard in virtually all cases in Ontario, until November, eight months after the death.

A $10,000 reward was eventually offered in the case, which police have said they don’t believe was random.

Lindsay Burnside, Macdougall’s sister, has previously said Macdougall was a personal support worker in Hamilton and Brantford before falling into a years-long drug addiction. Even amid her struggles, Macdougall tried to help friends, letting them live with her or pitch a tent in her backyard, Burnside said.

Burnside said police initially told the family they suspected an overdose. But, she said, when the family talked to funeral home staff and the coroner in the case, they learned Macdougall’s face was bruised and she had been stabbed.

Police later said that, when they found Macdougall’s body, they started a suspicious death investigation but decided against notifying the community or asking for tips or information at the time. They’ve said the information “was not made public in order to protect the investigation and provide the investigative team with the best opportunity at solving the case.”

It’s not publicly clear how or if Macdougall knew the accused.