Canadian True Crime - 48 The Crimes of Elizabeth Wettlaufer - Part 1

Episode Date: June 15, 2019

WOODSTOCK, ONTARIOThe decision to place an elderly relative in care is often a difficult and emotional process. That's why it’s vital that long term care facilities offer families peace of mind and reassurance that their loved one is safe and well cared for.This is a tale of where it all went terribly wrong.Find out more about:The Band Played On - a CBC Investigative PodcastWant to support my sponsors? Here's where the discount codes are:www.canadiantruecrime.ca/sponsorsCredits: Research and writing: Gemma HarrisVoice of Elizabeth Wettlaufer: Bonnie from Writing About CrimeNarration, music arrangement, audio production: Kristi LeeAudio editing: Erik KrosbyDisclaimer voiced by the host of Beyond Bizarre True Crime Other credits and sources can be found on the page for this episode at www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi guys, today is part one of another two-parter. Now I know a bunch of you weren't fans of the way I released the Jane Hirschman series. You can't blame me for trying something different. So I will be going back to the standard release schedule for this one, the first and the 15th of the month. Yep, this means there'll be two weeks between these two parts. So maybe save up part one so you can binge them both when the second one comes out. Or just listen to it. Part two will be released early on Patreon though and without the ads for just $2 a month. To learn more just look me up on Patreon. That's P-A-T-R-E-O-N dot com and search for Canadian true crime. Speaking of ads, I've just moved to a new hosting platform and the good news for you is that my ads

will now be geotargeted. This means that from now on you'll only hear ads from sponsors that are relevant to your location. And with that, it's on with the show. This podcast contains course language, adult themes and content of a violent and disturbing nature. Listener discretion is advised. Getting older is not something that everyone looks forward to. And as a large percentage of our population ages rapidly, facing our own mortality as the years pass is a sobering realization. Whether it's physical or mental, aging often means losing varying degrees of independence and capacity. When it comes to taking our last breaths in this world, it's fair to say that the sense of security, dignity and comfort brought by being able to see out our last days in our own

homes, surrounded by the care of our loved ones, cannot be underestimated. But various personal circumstances don't always allow for this to happen. And sometimes the care needs of many older people in the community, or those with complex health needs, can often only be met by placement in a long term aged care facility. Most facilities aim to provide their residents with a safe, comfortable and dignified environment where compassionate and experienced staff are on hand to attend to their needs. The decision to place an elderly relative in care is often a difficult and emotional process, which is why it's vital that long term care facilities offer families peace of mind and reassurance that our loved one is safe and well cared for. In the province of Ontario,

there are more than 600 long term aged care homes, housing a total of about 78,000 residents. As many as 30% of people aged 85 years and older live in long term care. Of those, more than 60% suffer from dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. For those residents who haven't been diagnosed with those debilitating conditions, over 90% suffer from some form of cognitive impairment, meaning they have problems with memory, language, judgment and general thinking, problems that are worse than others in their age group. Our peaceful, pain free death is something we all hope to have, because the thought of a painful, drawn out death where final moments are those of fear is terrifying. And it's the last sort of scenario that anyone

would expect to encounter in a long term care facility dedicated to caring for one of the most vulnerable groups in our community. This is Christy and you're listening to Canadian True Crime Episode 48. This story takes place in Woodstock, a city in southwestern Ontario that has just over 30,000 residents. Located on 5th Avenue is Carescent Care, a privately owned long term aged care facility, the biggest in the county. Built in 1975, it could accommodate up to 160 residents in five wings. The motto of Carescent Care was, caring families, yours and ours together. In late July of 2007, 84 year old James Silcox, known as Jim, became a resident at Carescent Care. One of three children, Jim was just 17 years old when he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Army Service

Corps during World War II. He went on to spend four years serving overseas in Italy, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Jim had been married to his wife Agnes for over 60 years and was a proud father of six, grandfather of 13 and great-grandfather of eight. He loved watching Saturday morning cartoons with his youngest grandchildren when they visited. Jim also attended Old St Paul's Church every Sunday, was a renowned handyman and was a long time employee of the standard tube company before he retired. Jim also enjoyed playing the organ. He was a loyal member of several community clubs and he had an abiding love for dogs. Jim snowplowed his neighbours driveways and mowed their lawns and wouldn't take any payment in return. He was a kind man.

But in 2004, at age 81, Jim suffered a stroke which limited his mobility. At the same time, he had diabetes which was controlled with daily insulin injections of 25 units at breakfast and 13 units at supper. Jim had also developed dementia and following hip replacement surgery that August, it had become increasingly difficult for his beloved wife Agnes to care for him at home. Even though Jim's daughter Andrea, who worked in aged care herself, bought her parents matching walkers, Jim hated the idea of aging. After he was hospitalised because of his complex health issues, his family made the heartbreaking decision to place him in long-term care. This caused some conflict between Jim's children but ultimately it was decided that the move was in

their ailing father's best interests. Dementia often brings with it cognitive impairment changes like loss of memory or judgement but it also impairs the brain causing psychological changes like changes in personality, depression and anxiety and inappropriate behaviour. Often people with dementia will be generally irritable. When Jim Silcox was admitted to care, his care plan noted some issues with inappropriate behaviour and a behaviour intervention strategy was put in place to manage this. On the evening of August 10th, 2007, after only being a resident for a few weeks, the World War II vet could be heard yelling out, I love you. Hours later, he was found unconscious in his bed and not breathing. He had passed away.

Music Elizabeth Tracy Mae Parker was born in Toronto on June 10th, 1967 to parents Doug and Hazel Parker, who also had an older son. Elizabeth was her full name but everyone actually called her Bethie from a very young age. When she was four years old, the family moved to Woodstock, Ontario, where she and her brother would grow up. Father Doug worked as a salesman and Mother Hazel did secretarial work, just an ordinary working class family. Bethie's shyness and awkwardness made her a target of bullies in elementary school. When she was seven, she decided that she wanted to be known as Beth, choosing to spell it B-E-T-H-E. The E would be silent. Surely,

this would help minimise the bullying, she thought. A neighbour called Glen Hart grew up across the street from Beth and knew her since they were kids. He later described her family as having a leave it to beaver type image, referencing the 1950s American sitcom that portrayed a loving family unit. However, behind closed doors, Glen also said that Beth's parents were known to be quite controlling. They were a fundamentalist Christian household, with highly conservative values, and the family attended church services twice a week at South Zora Baptist Church. Doug Parker held the respected position of elder in the local church, and his wife Hazel deferred to him as the head of their household.

When Beth started high school at Huron Park Secondary School, things improved for her socially. She played trombone in the school band, sang in the school choir, and was a goalie for her school field hockey team. But internally, Beth was struggling with her sexuality, and she felt a lot of guilt and disgust that went with it, because her church, like many other fundamentalist Christian churches, strongly disapproved of the LGBTQ community. Coming out to her family was not an option unless she was willing to be rejected. So Beth continued to keep her secret, and it was during these school years that she first started experimenting with drugs and alcohol.

She was said to have later developed feelings for a female neighbour, which were unrequited. Academically, Beth described herself as an average student. She had an ambition to study drama after high school, but when she graduated, she decided to enroll in a journalism course instead. After a year, though, she found she didn't have the passion to be a news reporter, so she enrolled at London Baptist Bible College, now known as Heritage Baptist College, for four years, where she earned a bachelor's degree in religious education with a minor in counselling. At the same time, Beth's father Doug also took some courses at the Bible College in an attempt to monitor his daughter's behaviour for some reason.

Despite her father's presence on campus, Beth continued to explore her sexuality. She started attending a gay-friendly church, but this was soon discovered by her family, who were angry and disappointed. Beth begged for their forgiveness, and in an effort to atone for her sins, she commenced a highly controversial therapeutic practice known as conversion therapy, created with the goal of curing homosexuality. Tactics used during conversion therapy include insisting to the patient that traumatic incidents they experienced as a child had created a false sense that they were gay, and with treatment, they could revert back to their real self, a heterosexual. Other tactics included using

psychotropic drugs along with sedatives and things called re-parenting sessions, which basically replicates the patient's infancy through role play. The efficacy of conversion therapy has since been widely debunked, not to mention the ethical implications that come into play when a person commences treatment, because it's not usually something they want to do or have chosen to do. Not surprisingly, in many cases, conversion therapy has caused further emotional and psychological trauma to those who've been forced to undergo the radical practice. It's not publicly known what tactics were used on Beth during her conversion therapy, but she was deemed to have completed it and released from treatment. Around this time,

she started drinking heavily, often going on binges. Despite this, she graduated from Bible college with her counseling degree, but was still unsure as to whether she was on the right career path. She went back to study high school maths and science for a year, and then enrolled in a three-year nursing course at Conestoga College in Stratford, Ontario. It seemed like she'd finally found her calling. Unlike high school and Bible college, Beth excelled in her nursing studies, even though she was by now a consistent, heavy binge drinker. In January of 1995, Beth moved northwest in Ontario, where she took a job at Geraldton District Hospital as a student nurse. By June of that year, she was licensed and registered.

But just months later, another nurse found her nearly falling into a bathroom trash can. It turns out, she'd shown up to work under the influence of Ativan, or Benzodiazepine lorazepam, an addictive drug used to treat anxiety and sleeping disorders. Beth was hospitalised at Woodstock General Hospital as a psychiatric patient. She revealed to her employer that she'd previously been treated for depression, and they believed that she'd consumed the drugs in an attempt to take her own life. She told the director of nursing that she took the drugs because she wanted to take the edge off, because she was very nervous and she'd not worked at her new job at Geraldton Hospital for very long.

The Mental Health Consult notes from this time states that Beth, quote, gives the impression that she's extremely lonely, and she talked about how she hides a lot of things from her family. Beth told management of Geraldton Hospital and the Ontario Nurses Association, the Union, that she was seeking help and had accepted that what she did was wrong. She was confident that it would never happen again. She was allowed to continue to work for the hospital and started moonlighting as a support worker at a community living centre that provided personal and residential support to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She would work there for a year, but Beth's world

was soon to come crashing down. Not long after her first brush with working under the influence, her superiors at Geraldton Hospital discovered that she'd stolen more of the drug Adavan from a patient while she was on shift. She was promptly fired. When the nurses' Union intervened on her behalf, her termination was amended to a voluntary resignation, but with a restricted nursing licence. In February of 1996, Beth moved back to Woodstock, telling people there that the reason she left Geraldton Hospital was because she felt isolated. Two months later, in April of 1996, Beth was gainfully employed as a registered nurse again, having secured a position at Victoria Rest Home in Woodstock. The owner of the facility later stated that she felt Beth was a good nurse,

but didn't necessarily demonstrate sound judgement in decision making. She resigned after just six months, taking work at a group home instead. It was seeming like Beth just couldn't get settled when in 1997, at age 30, she met a truck driver called Daniel Donnie Wetlulfer at their local Baptist Church. Beth continued to repress her attraction to women, married Donnie, and the couple settled down in Woodstock. During this time, Beth got treatment for drug dependence, as well as borderline personality disorder, a mental illness generally marked by an ongoing pattern of varying moods and behaviours, often resulting in impulsive actions and issues in relationships. 1998 marked three years since she'd been found with the stolen Ativan and

had her nursing licence restricted. During this time, Beth picked up casual work in long-term care homes in the Woodstock area, but her restrictions were removed and she was able to work as a full registered nurse again. Over the next few years, Beth and Donnie continued to live their lives together and she continued to get treatment for her mental illnesses. Things culminated in 2006 when she took psychiatrically for two weeks after being hospitalised for obsessive-compulsive behaviour and depression. She attempted to take her own life from a drug overdose, but wasn't successful. After her hospitalisation, she started seeing a psychiatrist in Woodstock once a month, but she later admitted that she had difficulties trusting him and described him as

not a nice man. Beth was still married to Donnie at this time, but it wasn't going well. She wanted kids. He didn't. And of course, she continued to struggle with her sexuality. Eventually, she got on the internet to seek out the company of women in secret. In early 2007, Donnie discovered that Beth was planning to move to New Brunswick to pursue a same-sex relationship. He was devastated and ended the marriage. Beth didn't end up going through with her plans to move to New Brunswick, though. She met a local woman online instead, moved in with her and the couple eventually became engaged. By this time, Beth obviously wasn't doing a good job of hiding her relationships from her conservative Christian family, although she hadn't officially told them that she was gay.

Her mother insisted on referring to Beth's female partners as roommates and preferred to view the situation as Beth just being a kind person who was simply happy to help others who needed a place to stay. Former neighbor Nancy Gilbert did agree with this characterization, saying that she found Beth to be caring. In fact, Beth's friends and other neighbors remembered her as liking to travel and laugh, a normal, everyday person. But at home, things were quickly becoming tough for Beth and her new partner, who had a combination of medical conditions including Parkinson's disease, diabetes and epilepsy. Beth later claimed that her partner was also dependent on alcohol. And because of her health conditions, she wasn't able to work, so Beth was supporting them both

and finances had started to become tight. Beth needed a better-paying job. In June of 2007, Beth left the group home she'd been working out with a reference stating she had, quote, solid concern and dedication to the individuals for whom she has provided service. She then got a full-time job at Carecent Care long-term facility back in Woodstock. They believed the reference she'd received from the hospital and had no idea about the issues with her previous employment. After an initial orientation, Beth was put in charge of 32 patients. Her responsibilities included changing dressings, completing paperwork and administering medication. It was busy and Beth didn't particularly enjoy the work given the large volume of patients,

but she ensured that she fulfilled her obligations every shift. At least twice a month, at least twice a month, she worked double shifts that started at three in the afternoon and went until seven in the morning the next day, and she was put in charge of her shift, something that she did enjoy. Around this time, Beth officially came out to her family as gay. She later said her brother was so upset about this revelation that he didn't talk to her for 10 years, and her mother Hazel never publicly acknowledged Beth's same-sex relationships, continuing to tell people that they were just roommates. Do you have a passion project that you're ready to take to the next level?

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I use the built-in blogging tools to create a new page for each episode, and there are so many intuitive options from embedding an audio player so listeners can stream episodes, to scheduling posts to be published on a certain date, an easily moderated comment section and automatically displaying recent episodes on the homepage. Every SquareSpace website and online store includes SEO tools to help you maximize your visibility in search engines, and I love the powerful insights I can get from the analytics tools, helping me better understand who's visiting the site, where they came from and how they're interacting with it. Do you have a passion project or business idea or something to sell? Go to squarespace.com slash ctc for a free trial,

and when you're ready to launch use offer code CTC to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. That's squarespace.com slash ctc with offer code CTC and get your passion project off the ground today. As the months passed, Beth's role at Carescent Care expanded to taking on responsibility for 90 to 95 residents while on night shift, as well as supervising personal support workers known as PSWs. At that time, care homes in Ontario only required one registered nurse to be on duty at all times, regardless of the number of residents. As the registered nurse on duty for the eight-hour night shift, Beth was earning approximately $60,000 per year, and this supervisory position at night meant she was responsible for managing and dispensing all medication to residents. She was

highly experienced in managing blood sugar conditions like diabetes and administering insulin. Insulin is the hormone naturally released by our pancreas into the bloodstream, where it converts glucose from the food we eat into our cells where it can be used for energy. When a person's blood sugar level is too low, they can develop a condition called hypoglycemia. Symptoms include clamminess, perspiring, chills, lightheadedness, dizziness, shaking, increased heart rate, and blurred vision. Severe cases of hypoglycemia can also result in seizures, loss of consciousness, frothing at the mouth, shutdown of vital organs, and death. This kind of death is by no means quick or pain-free. The person affected can suffer for hours.

All of these symptoms caused by blood sugar levels being too low can also be caused by taking an overdose of insulin. At caressant care, insulin pens were allocated to and labeled for individual residents, and then locked in the medication cart, but there was always a spare pen available. And unlike other medications, insulin is not a controlled substance in long-term care homes, and facilities are not required to monitor insulin use through regular stock audits. The main stockpile of insulin was stored in an unlocked fridge in the windowless medication room. On August the 10th 2007, barely two months after Beth started working at caressant care, 84-year-old World War II vet James Jim Silcox was found unconscious in his bed and not breathing.

As you'll recall from the beginning of the episode, he relied on daily insulin injections to deal with his diabetes. When his family was notified that he'd passed away, they were shocked and devastated and requested an autopsy. They were desperate for answers as to how the health of their beloved father and husband could have deteriorated so rapidly. But given Jim's advanced age and that he was a long-term care resident at the time of his death, the coroner declined the family's request, satisfied that Jim's cause of death was an embolism related to his prior hip surgery. Jim's eulogy described him as a gentleman, a problem solver, a fixer, a builder, a prankster, an animal lover, a true card, a compassionate and loving human being, and a man of deep, abiding faith.

Months later, just before Christmas of 2007, 84-year-old caressant care resident Morris Granat, known as Moe, was looking forward to seeing his family for the holidays. He was born in Saskatchewan and was a widowed father of three, two daughters, as well as one son who had previously passed away. He was also the beloved grandfather of five and great-grandfather of eleven. He'd previously worked as a mechanic in Tilsonburg, Ontario, and loved to fix up cars, do body work, and fix their engines. But in December of 2006, he became a resident of caressant care following a bad fall. Elderly people are extremely vulnerable to falls. In fact, they're the leading cause of injuries resulting in death to this age group and also the most

common cause of trauma-related hospital admissions. After his admission, Moe was also found to be battling metastatic prostate cancer. As Christmas of 2007 approached, his family were greatly looking forward to having him home for the holidays. It was going to be a happy time for everyone. But two days before Christmas, 84-year-old Moe was found by night shift staff lying in bed unresponsive. He died on December the 23rd, 2007. Meanwhile, Beth Wetlalfa continued to battle her addictive behaviours. Her addiction to prescription medications deepened and now included hydromorphone, a highly addictive opioid analgesic and narcotic. It's most commonly used to treat moderate to severe pain, usually in long-term cancer patients.

It can also be used as an alternative to morphine. As Beth started relying heavily on the drug, she chose not to doctor shop for prescriptions but to steal the allocated medications of residents. To avoid detection, Beth gave residents laxatives instead of their hydromorphone and no one was any the wiser. When hydromorphone supplies delivered to caressant care weren't checked in straight away, Beth skimmed the top and took them home. Another method she used to steal the drug was to open residents medication capsules, empty the contents and put the capsule back together empty for the resident to take and then later on she would consume the contents herself. Remember, the vast majority of patients who end up in long-term care suffer from dementia,

Alzheimer's or some form of cognitive impairment so may not have been able to communicate effectively that their medications weren't working. In January of 2008, Beth's relationship with her fiance broke down. Straight away she got back online to seek out a new partner. She started communicating with a woman called Sheila and Prince Albert Saskatchewan, telling her that her marriage broke down because she was attracted to women. The two continued to talk online and that summer Beth flew to Saskatoon to meet Sheila and stay with her for a week. Beth was extremely excited over what she perceived to be a serious relationship and declared her love for Sheila almost immediately. The pair were intimate on the first night of Beth's holiday but the very next

day Sheila knew there was no future for them as a couple. But Beth still had six days left of her stay and during this time Sheila's first impression was confirmed. She couldn't quite put her finger on what she found disconcerting about Beth's behavior but it did concern her. Beth had a lot of temper tantrums and frequently acted childishly and for someone who took a lot of pride in her career as a nurse, Sheila thought it was odd that Beth showed no interest in meeting her elderly mother who was in hospital at the time. When the week-long visit came to an end, Sheila told Beth the relationship wouldn't progress any further. Beth was devastated but threw herself back into her work. By 2009 she was in another relationship with a woman but the couple eventually split

due to ongoing conflict. 44-year-old Beth decided to take up creative writing. From 2011 she started posting poems online under the screen name Betty on the website allpoetry.com a website that encourages poets to share their work for an online community to enjoy. In her profile she said she had a love of the English language, had an active and full life and lived with three cats. She posted a poem called inevitable which seems to be speaking from the voice of a female serial killer. She watches some life drain from the notch in his neck vein as it soothingly pulls its mother's her pain. Sweet stiletto so sharp craves another cut, obeying a call she moves to his gut. Blade traces a line from navel to spine, grating on rib bones, slicing intestine.

Her knife sings a love song to the splattering gore, slicing through breastbone, romancing some more. Heartbeats then sprays as this next victim pays her death daggers bill. Does it quench her craze? Sharp thirst recedes as she dances in blood, satiated for now no longer a flood. This macabre waltz ended. Her desire has been tended by drinking the death brew that her passion blended. All others are safe from obsessions greed until she hears again from her knife and her need. Beth was still working at caressant care but her superiors noticed odd behavior that was starting to affect her work. By August of 2011 she was regularly turning up late to work and missing shifts. Caressant care had concerns about her mental health and recommended she take leave

but she refused. Beth continued working as usual. One of the patients under her care was 87 year old Gladys Millard. Gladys was born in Nova Scotia and was a long time member of Knox Presbyterian Church. The mother of two, grandmother of two and great-grandmother of five loved to bake, worked as a seamstress and was also a member of Rose Rebecca Lodge, a branch of an international service-based organization in Woodstock. Her husband Henry passed away in 1997 and nine years later Gladys became a resident of caressant care because of a combination of dementia and metastatic breast cancer. Four years later, during the night of October 13th 2011, the 87 year old widow suddenly passed away

and was discovered the next morning by staff. This was less than two months after Beth refused to take a leave as recommended by caressant care. Two weeks later, 95 year old Helen Matheson, another resident under Beth's care, was enjoying a few bites of blueberry pie and ice cream, her favorite. It had been bought for her by a nurse as a special treat. Helen was a widowed mother of two sons who also had three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She was a retired teacher, active long-time member of the Uniting Church in Inakip, Ontario and the Ladies Aid Society. Helen's husband Carl passed away in 1998 and not long after that, Helen developed Alzheimer's disease and ended up being admitted to caressant care. She was a quiet resident and

despite the decline in her cognitive capacity, she was otherwise well. She didn't have diabetes. But that night, she stopped eating and drinking. According to nurses notes from the time, she seemed very pale and listless. The next day, she was crying out in pain and given morphine. She was moved to palliative care and her son was called to the hospital. He sat with her that night, falling asleep here and there and finally he woke up and noticed that she'd passed away. He notified staff. Helen's causes of death were listed as natural causes, weight loss, failure to thrive, old age debility and dementia. Helen Matheson was remembered as a good and decent person. Just over a week later, caressant care lost a third patient under the care of Beth Wetlalfa.

Mary Zurowinski was a 96 year old widow who'd been married twice with four sons, outliving three of them. Mary grew up in Sudbury, Ontario and worked as a waitress. Despite developing dementia in her later years, resulting in her admission to caressant care in 2011, Mary was described as feisty, outspoken and fun. She was looking forward to celebrating her 100th birthday in a few years with her loved ones around her. Even at 96 years old, Mary loved to look good and continued to wear lipstick, jewellery and nail polish. The night of November the 6th, 2011, Mary died in her sleep. No autopsy was performed. The next day, Beth flew to Florida for a 10 day Caribbean cruise. She'd previously booked it

with her ex-girlfriend before they broke up, and they both still decided to go. As she flew away for vacation in November, the staff at caressant care were talking. Three residents had died in as many weeks, which wasn't that unusual in and of its self. But by this stage, staff had started to complain that Beth was showing up to work under the influence of alcohol. On one occasion, she was found passed out in a basement on night shift. But worst of all, her colleagues started to complain that she was being neglectful, and even suspected that she was abusing the residents. Two months later, in January of 2012, a personal support worker complained that Beth gave

improper and incompetent treatment, one time regarding a resident's hematoma, and another time with a resident who had a suspected hip fracture. Caressant care management warned Beth that she was at risk of being reported to the College of Nurses of Ontario to attend a hearing to determine whether she was still fit to practice. The College of Nurses is the regulatory body for Ontario's nurses and responds to workplace complaints. By this stage, Beth was under investigation for assaulting a resident, and more complaints had come in about her failure to follow instructions, openly discussing inappropriate things with other staff,

and general bullying and harassment. But still, Beth continued working. Helen Young was born in 1923 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was described as the apple of her father's eye. When she was 16, World War II broke out and she joined the Royal Navy, stationed at various locations in Britain, doing clerical work. In her spare time, Helen loved dressing up in her heels to go out dancing. In 1948, she married her Canadian husband Peter, and following the war, left to relocate to Peter's home country to start their post-war life together. The couple wouldn't have any children, but they loved to travel and were active in both their local Lions Club and the Humane Society. They eventually moved to Woodstock,

Ontario in 1971. Peter passed away in 1988, but Helen was very independent and continued to travel on her own. At age 86, Helen was admitted to caressant care in December 2009. She was known to be straightforward and outspoken, and was particularly close to her niece Sharon who visited often. During the night of July 13, 2013, nurses were called to her room and found her moaning loudly in pain, with a red face and bulging eyes. 90-year-old Helen passed away the next morning. Sharon expressed her gratitude to staff for the care her aunt had received at the long-term facility in her final days. 79-year-old Maureen Pickering was another resident at caressant care. She was born in Montreal in

1935 and studied economics at McGill University before marrying her husband Hugh in 1962. Maureen worked for the telecommunications company Bell Canada and was known to be intelligent, elegant, strong-willed and kind. Her husband Hugh passed away in 2008 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease where Maureen was his primary carer. Maureen herself developed Alzheimer's disease, and as the couple had no children, her friends and cousins stepped in to care for her at first before she was admitted to caressant care in September of 2013. Just six months later, the 79-year-old had a stroke and died. The doctor who attended following Maureen's passing noted that she had unexplained low

blood sugar levels and notified the coroner, but it was decided that no further investigation was required. By this time, caressant care management were again concerned about Beth Wetlaufer. More complaints had come in. Beth was alleged to have spoken inappropriately to several residents. One, she sarcastically asked if he needed a psychiatric assessment or a Heldoll injection. That's an anti-psychotic medication. Another staff member complained that she spoke inappropriately to Maureen Pickering when the resident with Alzheimer's accidentally wandered into another resident's room. And another colleague complained that Beth told a palliative care resident that, quote, it's okay to die. Finally, she was fired after

making an error with medication that placed a resident at significant risk. This came after she was disciplined at least nine times for medical errors, four of which had resulted in suspensions. Normally, in cases where nursing staff engage in behavior that places their charges at risk, the College of Nurses of Ontario is notified so they can be involved in the disciplinary process. But in Beth's case, with all her warnings and eventual dismissal, there was a lack of evidence that the College of Nurses were ever involved in the disciplinary aspect of Beth's termination of employment. In the book, Lethal Injections, author Lloyd Billingsley describes how in 2014, the College of Nurses concluded that no formal investigation into Beth's conduct

was required. And then the Ontario Nurses Association, the union, intervened on Beth's behalf, resulting in her lodging grievance regarding the proposed termination. The ruling went in Beth's favor. Not only did her dismissal turn into a voluntary resignation, but caressant care promised to provide a positive reference for Beth, as well as paying her $2,000 in damages. She was continuing her creative writing endeavors during this time. One poem she posted online at the time read, In another poem, she wrote about how much she enjoyed her work and working with the elderly. She talked about things she likes about them,

including the way they smell, before turning to complain about other nurses who didn't treat them very well. Yet another poem called Responsible revealed a different, darker side to Beth. In it, she talks about confessing to some wrongs she'd done and how it affected the person that she confessed to. It wasn't known who or what exactly she was talking about. Just a few months after she left caressant care, she interviewed for another nursing position in London, Ontario, a city about 40 minutes drive southwest of Woodstock. At her second interview at the Meadow Park Care Centre, she was honest and told the manager that she'd been fired from caressant care for making medication errors. They told her that they believed in second chances,

and she was offered a one-year contract on night shift. She started there in August of 2014. Meadow Park Care Centre had room for 120 patients. One of them was 75-year-old Arpad Horvath, known as Art, had been there for just over a year. Art was born in Hungary in 1939 and grew up there, but during the 1956 communist uprising in Budapest, he fled to Austria with his brother Frank. The pair soon moved to Canada, where Art met his wife Lana and started a family in London, Ontario. In the late 1960s, Art started his own company called Central Tool and Die, which did metal stamping and fabricating. Art was the chief engineer. He was also active in the local Hungarian community, going on to become the long-time president of the London Hungarian

club. He was described as larger than life and had two kids, Arpad Junior and Susan. Art loved playing poker, travelling and spending time with his family. He was especially close with his son. They worked together at the family-run business, and even when Arpad Junior lived in the UK for a few years, the two remained close. Leading up to 2013, Art suffered a series of strokes and needed a high level of care. His wife Lana was aging too and didn't know what to do, so their son, Arpad Junior, was trusted with deciding what to do regarding his father's care needs. He made the heartbreaking and difficult decision to place Art in a facility. Art trusted his son and the move didn't break the close bond between them. Arpad Junior would say he visited

his father every single day. But despite everything seemingly going well with Art's transition to the care facility, his daughter Susan had a nagging feeling she couldn't shake. She spoke of how after visiting her father on one occasion, there was evidence of bruises on his arms and that he looked very scared and full of fear. At one point, she mentioned it to her mother Lana, telling her that something didn't feel right. Along with vascular dementia, Art had type 2 diabetes, which was managed by an oral hypoglycemic medication. It was initially noted that Art periodically displayed aggressive and agitated behaviors, which of course is a common manifestation of dementia or Alzheimer's. On August the 24th, 2014, 75-year-old Art was rushed to the ICU in

Victoria Hospital in London after lapsing into unconsciousness. His son, Arpad Junior, rushed to the hospital and made it just in time to whisper to his father that he loved him and that he would miss him. Art passed away. His family were devastated but just assumed it was from the sheer physical burden of having had nine strokes in addition to living with dementia and that his body simply couldn't take any more. Elizabeth Wetlaufer only lasted about a month at Meadow Park Nursing Home. She left about a month after Art passed away to focus on treating her addictions again. She checked herself in to drug rehab for a month. When 2015 rolled around, she'd been out of rehab for two months but was still unemployed, relying mainly on government assistance to support herself

financially. In January, she found part-time work as an agency nurse through a private, unlicensed care agency called Lifeguard Home Care. The next month, she was assigned to a long-term care facility called Telfer Place in Paris, Ontario, a town located about half an hour northeast of Woodstock. At this facility, one registered nurse was responsible for 45 residents. One of the residents was 77-year-old Sandy Tauler who was known for her great sense of humour. Sandy had lived in Brant County where she raised two children. Eventually, she moved in with her son and daughter-in-law to a granny flat on their property. But she was living with dementia and her care needs were becoming too high to continue that living arrangement. So she was

placed in Telfer Place in February of 2014, the same month that Beth was assigned there. Staff saw problems with Beth almost straight away. They complained that she was lazy. She didn't finish her tasks, did things half-heartedly and didn't communicate well with other staff, forgetting to tell them important information about patients. One complaint came after a stomach bug outbreak caused 77-year-old Sandy to have diarrhea. Beth washed her off a bit, then said, OK, that's good enough. But when another nurse checked in, the elderly woman still had soil on her back, which could have caused further infection. Sandy had diabetes, which, like Art Horvath, was controlled by oral medication instead of insulin injections. One day,

a vigilant staff member noticed that Sandy was sweating and checked her blood sugar levels. They were extremely low, so the paramedics were called. Sandy was lucky to survive, but no one could explain how her blood sugar had suddenly fallen to near-fatal levels. Beth continued her assignments as an agency nurse and other facilities in Ontario, and it seemed that things started to turn around as far as her addiction issues went. In September of 2015, she wrote a Facebook post. My own voice called to me in the darkness. Others' hands lifted me when I chose the light. One year ago, today, I woke up not dead. 365 days clean and sober.

By this stage, she lived alone, with only her cats and Jack Russell Terrier named Nashville for company. But people who knew her noticed some unusual behaviours. One day, Beth asked to join her neighbours for a chat, and then said she was going to get changed, but instead came back with alcohol. Her neighbour Nancy thought this was odd. Beth was drinking again. Another neighbour was concerned and asked Beth if she was okay. She said she'd been fired from caressant care for stealing medication, and was then fired again from her next nursing role, saying that she was intoxicated and gave incorrect medication that almost resulted in a death. It was now 2016, and the facilities that she'd been assigned to were getting fed up with her.

In February, one contacted her agency, Lifeguard Home Care, to say they didn't want her back because of how she interacted with staff. In April, Telfa Place, where Sandy Tower almost died from her blood sugars suddenly plummeting, also contacted the agency, asking for Beth's contract with them to be terminated. They'd tried unsuccessfully to counsel her over medication errors, missing scheduled shifts, failing to meet her responsibilities to residents, and inappropriate conversations in the workplace. But the agency still continued to give her assignments. And that's where we'll leave it for part one. Part two will be released in two weeks on the first of July. I apologize for the gap, but I hope you understand why I made that decision.

Again, go to Patreon and look for Canadian True Crime to get part two early and ad-free. Thanks for listening, and a huge thank you to Gemma Harris for writing this case. And my wonderful voiceover assistance was from Bonnie, the Canadian podcaster behind Writing About Crime, who voiced Elizabeth Wetlalpha. You have heard her promo on the show before, but definitely check her out. Today's podcast recommendation is a new investigative podcast from CBC Ottawa, and it's called The Band Played On. I have just binged the entire series, and it's really quite something that deserves more attention. Here's a promo. I love the band so much. I didn't want to do anything that was threatening that.

He had a room where he could see out, where no one could see in. Was it my fault? Did I seduce him? Did I make him do this? Three teachers, five decades, dozens of victims. I knew there was something wrong with him. Why was he allowed to continue teaching? The Band Played On, now available for free on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. Today, I'm saying thank you to these patrons. Sorry, the lists of names are a bit longer now. I got a little bit behind,

so I'm saying extra to try and catch up. Sorry, guys. Thank you all so much. This episode of Canadian True Crime was researched and written by Gemma Harris, and audio production was by Eric Crosby. The host of the Beyond Bazaar True Crime podcast voiced the disclaimer, and the Canadian True Crime theme song was written by We Talk of Dreams. I'll be back with part two on July the 1st. See you then.