HAMILTON, Canada (Diya TV) — Police charged the live-in partner of Shalini Singh with second-degree murder after they found her remains last month in a landfill. DNA tests confirmed the remains belonged to the 40-year-old Indian-origin woman who had vanished in December.
Singh, a mental health care worker, disappeared on December 4, 2024. Investigators say her partner, Jeffery Smith, killed her and dumped her body through their apartment’s garbage chute.
Singh’s neighbors last saw her on December 2 as she entered her apartment in Hamilton. On December 4, Singh spoke by phone with her mother, Anita Singh, for the last time. Singh’s family became alarmed and reported her missing on December 10.
Police began investigating right away and treated the case as suspicious. Officers studied hours of security video. They also traced garbage routes from Singh’s building to the Glanbrook landfill outside Hamilton. Finally, after months of searching, they located Singh’s remains at the landfill on May 21. Tests completed last Friday confirmed the DNA belonged to Singh. Police arrested Smith that same day in a Burlington parking lot near his parents’ home. They charged him with second-degree murder and indignity to a human body.
Singh’s parents have asked for privacy as they grieve. Her father, Dalip Singh, told CBC Hamilton earlier this year that the wait for information was “sheer torture.” Even though they had prepared for terrible news, hearing it officially still shocked them.
Court records show Smith struggled with mental illness and violence. In 2012, he faced charges for attacking his mother and a neighbor. A judge declared him not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder. Smith then spent years under supervision at St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton before his doctors allowed him to live in the community.
In 2022, an Ontario Review Board decided to give Smith an absolute discharge. That decision ended St. Joseph’s supervision over him. Singh had testified for Smith at the hearing and assured the board that she could help manage his medication. Hospital staff and a psychiatrist opposed the move. They warned that without strict supervision, Smith might stop his medication, relapse into psychosis, and pose a threat.
When asked if Smith’s mental health contributed to Singh’s death, Detective Sergeant Daryl Reid refused to speculate. Reid noted that the courts must decide that question. Investigators, meanwhile, have continued gathering evidence to support the case.
Hamilton residents and Singh’s colleagues responded with sadness and frustration. Many remembered Singh as kind and dedicated to her mental health work. Some also called for reforms in the system that allowed Smith to live without oversight despite past warnings.
As police prepare for trial, Singh’s family hopes that justice will follow. Officers say they remain committed to seeing the case through. Many in Hamilton also want to honor Singh’s life and prevent similar tragedies in the future.
