The death of a woman in Merritt, B.C., is under investigation by the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) following concerns raised by an advocacy group regarding the local RCMP’s handling of the case. The woman passed away on December 16, and prior to the IIO’s involvement, Merritt RCMP had initiated an investigation resulting in a second-degree murder charge against a man.
According to the IIO, before the woman’s death, the police had been in contact with her investigating alleged intimate partner violence. The last interaction between the police and the woman occurred several days before her passing. The IIO stated that the RCMP had conducted an investigation leading up to the woman’s death.
The Battered Women’s Support Services Executive Director, Angela Marie MacDougall, expressed the organization’s decision to contact the IIO for an independent review of the case due to the severity of harm the victim endured and previous police engagement. MacDougall highlighted the importance of adhering to provincial policies related to risk assessment and victim services before such tragic incidents.
She emphasized the significance of utilizing specific tools for investigating intimate partner violence and predicting femicide. MacDougall stressed the critical period when a woman signals separation from an abusive partner, underscoring the need for a coordinated response system to support victims during this vulnerable time.
The IIO’s investigation coincides with British Columbia’s efforts to enhance its response to intimate partner violence. Attorney General Niki Sharma recently announced the establishment of a comprehensive framework to guide justice system stakeholders in better addressing intimate partner violence following a systemic review of the province’s treatment of victims and survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence.
Statistics Canada reports an average of 102 women and girls in Canada falling victim to gender-related homicide annually between 2011 and 2021, with 93% of these homicides committed by male intimate partners or family members of the victims. The IIO is probing whether the actions or inactions of officers in this case are linked to the woman’s death and will assess if there are grounds to suspect any potential offense.