Ottawa police detective demoted for accessing infant death files without authorization
Helen Grus found guilty of discreditable conduct after accessing nine confidential cases. Grieving mother harassed by supporters after her identity became public.
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Ottawa police detective Helen Grus has been demoted for two years after accessing confidential case files she had no role investigating — including nine child and infant death cases.
Grus, an investigator with the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit, was found guilty of one count of discreditable conduct in March 2025 after she "self-initiated an unauthorized project" to access the files without recording her involvement. She did not record her involvement in accessing the records. A tribunal hearing officer delivered the ruling September 3, 2025, and Grus was demoted from first-class to second-class constable in August 2026.
The case has compounded grief for a mother whose deceased daughter's file was accessed. Ottawa police called the mother in late March 2022 during her celebration of her infant daughter's first birthday with friends and family to tell her someone had accessed the case file. "It immediately sent me into a spiral of grief and PTSD," the mother wrote. Over the following four years, her ordeal deepened when Grus's supporters learned her identity and harassed her — publishing her name, photo, and memorial images of her baby lifted from social media.
When prosecutors attempted to file the mother's letter as a victim impact statement during Grus's disciplinary proceedings, Grus's defence lawyer Bath-Shéba van den Berg contested its admissibility. A tribunal ruled the letter inadmissible because the discreditable conduct charge originated from an internal chief's complaint rather than a public complaint, meaning there were no public complainants in the case against Grus. Van den Berg stated that Grus was not investigated or charged for privacy breaches.
Grus and van den Berg have told supporters they plan to appeal the guilty finding and demotion to the Ontario Police Arbitration and Adjudication Commission after an August 18 sentencing hearing. Van den Berg confirmed the appeal in an email.
Why did Grus access nine child and infant death cases when she had no investigative role in any of them?
What safeguards exist to prevent officers from accessing confidential files outside their investigations?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
How many confidential case files did Helen Grus access without authorization?
Helen Grus accessed nine child and infant death cases without authorization as part of an unauthorized project she initiated.
When was Helen Grus demoted?
Helen Grus was demoted in August 2026 from first-class to second-class constable, following her guilty finding in March 2025.
How long is Helen Grus's demotion?
Helen Grus's demotion lasts for two years.
What happened to the mother whose daughter's file was accessed?
The mother experienced grief and PTSD when Ottawa police notified her in late March 2022 that her deceased daughter's file had been accessed. Over the following four years, Grus's supporters harassed her by publishing her name, photo, and memorial images of her baby taken from social media.
