Bodies of two alleged victims exhumed in Wettlaufer case
Former long-term care nurse has been charged by police with eight counts of murder
The bodies of two people allegedly killed by a former nurse were exhumed Tuesday morning, Ontario Provincial Police confirmed.
The remains of Arpad Horvath and Helen Matheson were removed from their graves at separate locations, police said.
“The exhumations are necessary to allow the forensic pathology services an opportunity to perform an autopsy and collect evidence,” said OPP Sgt. David Rektor.
Elizabeth Wettlaufer, 49, was charged with eight counts of firstdegree murder in October.
On Jan.13, she appeared in a Woodstock court to face additional charges, including four counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggra- vated assault.
According to a court document, Wettlaufer is accused of injecting the six newest alleged victims with insulin.
London police Const. Sandasha Bough said the exhumation was “a necessary process that was respectfully carried out” with the blessing of the seniors’ families.
She could not speculate on whether other alleged victims’ bodies would be exhumed in the future.
Police have alleged Wettlaufer gave a fatal dose of medication to seven residents of Woodstock’s Caressant Care home — including Matheson — and to Horvath, a resident at Meadow Park long-term care home in London, Ont.
Police have not specified what medication she allegedly used in relation to the first-degree murder charges.
Arpad Horvath Jr., the son of one of the alleged victims exhumed Tuesday, declined an interview request.
Matheson was a resident at Caressant Care, where Wettlaufer worked until 2014. She died on Oct. 27, 2011, at the age of 95.
Horvath, 75, died at Victoria Hospital in London on Aug. 31, 2014, after staying at the Meadow Park nursing home.