No suspect ID'd yet in Deep River stabbing investigation

No suspect ID'd yet in Deep River stabbing investigation

Police are asking people to stop spreading false information about a suspect

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are urging the public to stop spreading unconfirmed information as officers look for an unidentified suspect they say stabbed a woman in Deep River earlier this week.

On Wednesday evening, police in the small eastern Ontario town near Pembroke issued a shelter-in-place order for nearly 20 hours after what they called a serious incident in the McElligott Drive area that afternoon.

A woman was stabbed and taken to hospital in life-threatening condition, according to the OPP, which was called in to help.

"That hasn't changed," Sgt. Erin Cranton, an OPP spokesperson, told CBC News of the victim's condition on Friday afternoon.

The woman was taken to a local hospital first and then transferred to an Ottawa hospital's trauma centre, she added.

Police are not releasing other information about her "to protect that family's privacy."

Shelter in place order lifted in Deep River after woman stabbed

Nor are police releasing any information about a suspect, despite what they describe as "unverified information, images and video circulating on social media that claim to identify or describe a suspect," in a Friday afternoon news release.

"Police have not identified a suspect and have not confirmed the accuracy of the information being shared online."

OPP and town police asked people to stop sharing unverified information and to remove anything they had posted.

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

'A heightened sense of caution'

The investigation is currently contained to Deep River, Cranton said, though "that doesn't mean information we receive won't take us to other places."

Police are still asking people people to remain vigilant and to avoid McElligott Drive between Banting Drive and Granite Lane.

"There's a lot of video footage and witness accounts and information that we need to go through," Cranton said of the ongoing investigation.

She couldn't confirm whether OPP are looking for one or more suspects.

"There's a lot going on in the background that the public isn't aware of in terms of our investigation," 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."

Deep River Mayor Suzanne D'Eon says she's not as riddled with anxiety as she was when the shelter-in-place order was in place. She and her council colleagues learned about the stabbing during a meeting Wednesday.

But D'Eon says there's still "a heightened sense of caution" in the community of about 4,200 people on Friday, even as some people are "back out and about, going to work, doing their business, going to school."

D'Eon said there remained a fairly heavy police presence in the community on Friday, including officers stationed at the town's council chambers, which she said people are generally thankful for.

"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."

"Certainly a lot of people [are] really thinking of the victim," the mayor added.

D'Eon said she doesn't know who the victim is, but "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."