A nurse in southwestern Ontario has been charged in the deaths of eight nursing home residents over several years.
Woodstock Police Chief William Renton says 49-year-old Elizabeth Tracey Mae Wettlaufer of Woodstock, Ont., was charged with first-degree murder in the killings, which he says took place between 2007 to 2014.
Renton says the victims were in the 70s, 80s and 90s.
A private Ontario nursing home chain has said one of its former employees is the focus of the investigation.
Caressant Care Nursing and Retirement Homes, which operates 15 facilities primarily based in small towns, says the former employee is a registered nurse who left the company 2 1/2 years ago.
The company says it is co-operating with the police probe and remains in contact with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care regarding the matter.
Caressant Care says its highest priority is to continue providing for the "physical, social and spiritual needs'' of its residents as the investigation unfolds.