An Ottawa police detective who investigated unexplained infant deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic told a federal inquiry that evidence later disclosed during her disciplinary tribunal strengthened her belief that the cases deserve a criminal investigation.
Detective Helen Grus told the Allison Inquiry in Ottawa on Sept. 10 that she identified six confirmed unexplained infant deaths in Ottawa after a colleague approached her in January 2022 and reported that baby deaths had doubled or tripled compared with previous years.
Grus was demoted this year after a police tribunal found her guilty of discreditable conduct for undertaking the investigation.
Grus told the inquiry that she later found that the causes of death in five cases match adverse events listed in documentation concerning COVID-19 vaccines.
“It doesn’t conclude that that’s what killed the babies, but further investigation must be done,” Grus told the inquiry.
In a January 2024 affidavit, Grus said she believed a criminal investigation should be conducted into potential criminal negligence. She said more than 110 exhibits were presented during her five-week police tribunal, including 10 binders of evidence she compiled while suspended.
The Ottawa Police Service said Grus’s actions were unsanctioned, faulting her for accessing related police files and contacting the family of deceased children as part of her investigation.
The police tribunal hearing Grus’s case ruled that she “misused the authority of her position.” She is appealing the decision.
Investigating Child Deaths
Grus, who has been a police officer since 2003, moved into Ottawa Police Service’s Sexual Assault Child Abuse (SACA) unit in 2016, where she remained until 2022. The unit investigates sexual assaults, child abuse, and sudden, unexplained or unexpected deaths involving children under 5.
“We look into every single baby death that happens outside of the hospital,” Grus said.
She said she had not observed an unusual pattern of infant deaths during the first part of the pandemic. She said that changed in January 2022, when a fellow SACA detective raised concerns about an increase.
Grus said she checked the police service’s records management system before attending a town hall meeting with then-Chief Peter Sloly. She said she found seven cases and determined six were confirmed unexplained infant deaths after excluding cases involving choking, smothering, or drowning.
Normally, she said, Ottawa saw two or three unexplained infant deaths annually.
“I thought, well, it is a doubling [or] tripling,” she said.
Grus said she notified her management, and explained to them that she was not concluding what caused the increase but believed it should be monitored.
“There’s one thing that has changed: it’s the vaccination that came out last year,” she said she told them, while emphasizing that she did not know whether it was responsible.
She said she also identified procedural concerns, including incomplete investigative questionnaires used in Ontario for sudden unexpected infant deaths. She said in one case, a death had been concluded as non-suspicious within 24 hours, before a detective had reviewed the preliminary autopsy results.
‘See Something, Say Something’
Grus said she raised her concerns with her management on Jan. 13, 2022. On Feb. 1, she was sent home on leave without pay under Ottawa police’s COVID-19 vaccination policy. Three days later, she was suspended and accused of accessing police records for personal reasons and printing coroner reports.
Grus maintained that accessing the records was legitimate police business.
“We’ve always been told as police officers, when you see something, you say something,” she said. “If you see something suspicious, you speak up, and I did that.”
While suspended, Grus researched COVID-19 vaccine safety and compiled 10 binders of material. She said she was particularly concerned about public-health statements that vaccines were safe and effective for pregnant and breastfeeding women, because the Pfizer documentation she found showed no testing on those groups at the time.
In May 2022, she presented her concerns and evidence during a compelled professional-standards interview, and was charged with discreditable conduct in July 2022. She rejected a proposed plea deal because she said its statement of facts was inaccurate and misleading.
She proceeded to a tribunal and was demoted from first-class detective to second-class for two years. She said the proceedings have stalled her career for nearly five years and that the demotion will remain on her record for another two years.
The Ottawa Police Service says that Grus acted in a “disorderly manner” that could bring “discredit upon the reputation” of the police force, adding that she got herself involved in an unauthorized project in which she had no sanctioned role, and “failed to then record your involvement or findings in the files.”
Policy Changes
Grus also testified about changes to Ontario policing legislation. On April 1, 2024, the Police Services Act was replaced by the Community Safety and Policing Act.
She said the new framework requires officers to obtain supervisory permission if they want to continue an investigation in circumstances where officers previously had greater discretion.
Grus said she does not claim her case caused the legislative change, noting the changes had been under development for years.
Grus said she wants greater dialogue rather than further division.
“I forgive the officers that dislike me,” she said. “I’m not angry with them. I would love to sit down at a table with them and communicate.”
She said her central concern remains whether the infant deaths were adequately investigated.
“We follow the evidence, but we don’t ignore some stones just because they’re prettier than others,” Grus said.
English (US) · 
Turkish (TR) · 