Suspended detective accused of seeking links between child deaths and COVID-19 vaccines

However, a spokesperson for the city's police said there is no timetable for a return to work.

Const. Helen Grus, a detective in the Ottawa Police Service's sexual assault and child abuse unit, has been suspended since February 4, 2022.

Investigators with the OPS Professional Standards allege she engaged in discreditable conduct by taking on a private investigation project to find out the vaccination status of parents whose infants or children had died. Grus has not yet entered a plea. Her disciplinary process is scheduled to continue on December 6.

"We understand that Const. Grus’ suspension is being lifted, she has been directed by OPS to return to work,” Bath-Sheba Van den Berg, Grus’ legal counsel, told a disciplinary hearing Tuesday.

Van den Berg said Grus was scheduled to attend a meeting with the service where her return to work would be discussed, including “potential restrictions and conditions” for her if she returns from her suspension.

However, an OPS spokesperson said Grus was still listed as suspended as of the service’s most recent Workforce Management Report, dated Sept. 26, and that “the timing for lifting the suspension has not been established at this time.”

Between June 2020 and January 2022, Grus allegedly had access to nine child or infant death cases in which she had no investigative role. On Jan. 30, 2022, Grus also allegedly directly interfered in an investigation into a infant death by contacting the father of a deceased baby to inquire about the mother’s COVID-19 vaccination status without the knowledge of the lead investigator.

Before her suspension, Grus was a member of OPS’s Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit, which, in addition to investigating sensitive cases involving child abuse, also investigates sudden or unexpected infant deaths. In a typical case, the medical examiner’s office investigates to determine the cause of death and make recommendations to prevent similar deaths in the future. The police investigation focuses on determining whether foul play played a role.

Anti-vaccine groups and leaders have latched onto Grus’ case, hailing her as a hero who is “doing her job” and “seeking the truth,” according to comments and posts on social media.

A mother who was notified in March that the file, including details about her baby’s death, had been accessed by a detective who was not an investigating officer, told this newspaper, that she felt her privacy had been violated by the breakup and expressed outrage at the support Grus has received.