News Release

News Release

SIU Concludes Investigation into Woman’s Fatal Fall from Apartment Balcony in Whitby

Case Number: 25-OCD-010   

Other News Releases Related to Case 25-OCD-010

SIU Investigating after Woman has Fatal Fall from Whitby Apartment Balcony

Mississauga, ON (7 May, 2025) ---
In the morning of January 8, 2025, Durham Regional Police Service officers attended an apartment in Whitby with the intention to remove the apartment’s occupants ahead of a search warrant that was to be executed there later that day. Shortly after the officers knocked at the door, a 33-year-old woman who was inside the unit entered onto the apartment’s balcony and attempted to scale down to the balcony below. She lost her grip and fell to the ground below. She was pronounced deceased at the scene. On his assessment of the evidence, SIU Director Joseph Martino determined there were no reasonable grounds to believe that an officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the woman’s death. 

Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision): https://www.siu.on.ca/en/directors_reports.php.

The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (municipal, regional and provincial police officers, police officers with the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, special constables with the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service) that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, the Director of the SIU must

  • consider whether the official has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
  • depending on the evidence, cause a criminal charge to be laid against the official where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid
  • publicly report the results of its investigations

Lisez ce communiqué en français.

Monica Hudon, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES