No Grounds for Criminal Charges Against Officer in Death of Thunder Bay Woman: SIU

Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said it found no grounds for a criminal charge against a Thunder Bay police officer who cancelled a domestic disturbance call involving a 21-year-old woman who was found dead in the home hours later.

The SIU released its report into the circumstances surrounding the death of Jenna Ostberg, who was found dead in her boyfriend’s bedroom closet on Dec. 30, 2023.

Ostberg and her boyfriend had been arguing in the bedroom around 2 a.m. that day, prompting another individual at the home to call Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS), asking for Ostberg to be removed, according to the July 14 SIU report. The individual noted there was a no-contact order for Ostberg and her boyfriend, stemming from a domestic assault incident from July 2023.

The caller told the boyfriend to go and sleep in another bedroom in the basement. The caller then fell asleep for a short time, according to the report. When the individual woke up and realized the home was quiet, they phoned TBPS to cancel the previous request, thinking Ostberg had left the home. It was 2:23 a.m.

An officer cancelled the call for police to respond to the home around 3:08 a.m.

At 10:34 a.m., police received another call from the residence indicating that Ostberg had been found in her boyfriend’s bedroom.

Ostberg’s boyfriend had gone upstairs and found her hanging by a scarf in his closet, according to the SIU report. Paramedics arrived and declared Ostberg deceased at 10:39 a.m.

The medical expert was not able to establish a time of death for Ostberg, the report said, adding it “leaves open the distinct possibility” she committed suicide after her last cellphone activity at 2:42 a.m.

The expert noted that death from hanging “usually occurs very quickly,” the SIU report said.

SIU Director Joseph Martino said there were no grounds for a criminal charge against the officer, noting the call to cancel the request for police assistance happened at 2:23 a.m., and Ostberg likely died around 2:42 a.m. He wrote that the officer had “about 19 minutes” to make a decision on whether to cancel the request for police to the home.

“There is evidence that it was a busy night in the communications centre and the officer would have been occupied with other matters, and that at least several minutes would have elapsed before officers could attend at the house in any event,” he wrote.

Martino said he was “unable to reasonably conclude” in the “condensed window of time” that the officer “transgressed the limits of care” called for in the situation.

TDPS said with the SIU investigation closed, it would conduct an administrative review into the incident.

“The purpose of the administrative investigation is to review member conduct, the policing provided, and procedures all as they relate to the incident,” TDPS said in a July 15 statement.

It said the review would be reported to the Thunder Bay Police Service Board when it was completed.

The Canadian Press contributed to this article.