Ottawa Detective Testifies Investigation into COVID Vaccines and Infant Deaths was “Part of Police Duty”
OTTAWA—An Ottawa Police Service detective facing allegations of discreditable conduct for investigating the COVID-19 vaccination status of mothers of deceased infants defended her actions during a hearing, stating that she was upholding her duty as a police officer by preserving life and property.
“My duty as a police officer is to preserve life and property, to preserve the peace. And if I see any one of those situations arising where I need to step in and preserve life, I will do something. And that’s what I did, in good faith, as a police officer,” Constable Helen Grus testified at the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) building in Stittsville on May 27.
Const. Grus, a detective with the OPS sexual assault and child abuse unit, faces discreditable conduct allegations for conducting an unauthorized project between June 2020 and January 2022, involving probing into the sudden deaths of nine infants. She is alleged to have accessed police files and contacted the coroner’s office to inquire about the COVID-19 vaccination status of the parents, suspecting a potential association.
On Jan. 30, 2022, Const. Grus allegedly contacted the father of a deceased infant to ask about the COVID-19 vaccination status of the mother without the lead detective’s knowledge. Despite being suspended without pay from the OPS on Feb. 4, 2022, she was later ordered to return to work with restrictions following an internal OPS hearing on Oct. 11, 2022.
During her testimony on May 27, Const. Grus expressed her concern about the increase in baby deaths following the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. She cited incidents where healthy babies had suddenly died in their mothers’ arms, a phenomenon she had not encountered in her 20-plus years of policing.
According to a report by the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics, mRNA from COVID-19 vaccines has been detected in human breast milk, raising concerns. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) also indicates serious side effects and deaths in breastfed babies whose mothers recently received COVID-19 vaccinations.
Const. Grus emphasized that her investigation into the potential link between COVID-19 vaccines and infant deaths was guided by Peel’s Principles, a set of ethical guidelines for policing. She specifically referred to the fifth principle, stressing the importance of impartial service to the law to seek and preserve public favor.
During her testimony, Const. Grus highlighted the importance of impartially investigating infant deaths amid the divisive context of COVID-19 vaccine mandates within the OPS, emphasizing the need to prioritize facts over public opinion.
She also shared a positive performance review she received in January 2024, acknowledging her dedication to large and complex investigations and the significance of returning to serve the community after a challenging period of suspension.
Prosecution ‘Close to Intimidating’ Grus
At the beginning of Const. Grus’s testimony, as she was being asked about her history in the OPS, prosecutor Jessica Barrow objected and said they were repeating content that had already been entered as evidence. “We have here a 48-page affidavit with an extensive number of issues covered … to spend a considerable amount of the tribunal’s time going through each and every one of the aspects of an affidavit—that’s already before you—has no utility,” she said.
Defence lawyer Bath-Sheba van den Berg responded that Const. Grus needed an opportunity to tell her story, and that stopping her testimony at portions covered in her affidavit would be “incredibly disruptive” and an “abuse of process.”
Hearing Officer Chris Renwick said there had been “too much repetition” throughout the tribunal, and said Const. Grus needed to give evidence that was relevant to the hearing. “I’d really like to get to the substance of it,” he said. “I find it difficult to control and I find it difficult to rule on, because I do not want to have any indication or pressure that I am limiting the scope of your case,” he said.
Ms. van den Berg said that the prosecution’s objection was a “gross miscarr…
Nearly 30 people came to support Const. Grus at the police headquarters, but due to the size of the room, only 23 were allowed to watch her testify. Plans to move the hearing to the San Marco Event & Conference Centre in Ottawa and broadcast it online were not realized, with the OPS citing technical issues for the lack of a virtual broadcast and giving no reason for the failure to secure a larger venue.
