Nova Scotia RCMP investigating another fatal case of intimate partner violence

CITYnews halifax / By The Canadian Press

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia RCMP are investigating another fatal case of intimate partner violence, this time in the southwestern corner of the province.

On Thursday, the Mounties reported two suspicious deaths in the coastal community of Yarmouth, saying that on Nov. 1 officers found the remains of a 58-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman inside a home on Placid Court.

Police say an investigation determined the man killed himself after he killed the woman in an act of intimate partner violence.

On Tuesday, the RCMP and Halifax Regional Police confirmed they were investigating the killing of a 71-year-old woman by her 72-year-old male partner in Cole Harbour, a suburb northeast of Halifax. The Mounties said they responded on Monday morning to a report of sudden deaths inside a home on Poplar Drive.

As was the case in Yarmouth, police determined the man killed himself after he killed his partner.

On Oct. 22, the RCMP reported the suspicious deaths of a 59-year-old woman and a 61-year-old man, whose bodies were found on Oct. 18 in a home in Enfield, N.S., north of Halifax. At the time, the Mounties said the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service had determined the man had died from self-inflicted injuries and the woman was the victim of a homicide.

No other details were released at the time and the RCMP did not respond to a request on Thursday for more information.

In September, the Nova Scotia legislature adopted a bill declaring domestic violence an epidemic in the province. The bill, introduced by the opposition NDP, was tabled in response to a recommendation from the commission of inquiry that investigated the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia that claimed 22 lives.

The federal-provincial inquiry heard that the lone gunman responsible for Canada’s worst mass shooting had a history of domestic violence and had brutally assaulted his spouse moments before he began a 13-hour killing rampage across northern and central Nova Scotia.

When the bill was passed, the New Democrats noted that Nova Scotia had the highest rates of intimate partner violence of any province in Canada, with over 30 per cent of women and 22.5 per cent of men who have been in a relationship reporting being physically or sexually assaulted by their partner.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press