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Indian-origin woman’s remains found in Canadian landfill
Shalini Singh, a 40-year-old mental healthcare worker, was reported missing by her family on Dec.10, 2024.
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Malvika Choudhary - Tue, 24, Jun 2025
- 15:17 EDT
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Shalini Singh / Hamilton Police
Canadian authorities have confirmed that human remains discovered at a landfill site near Hamilton belong to an Indian-origin woman who had been missing since December 2024.
Shalini Singh, a 40-year-old mental healthcare worker, was reported missing by her family on Dec.10, 2024, six days after she last spoke with her mother over the phone. Her live-in partner, 42-year-old Jeffery Smith, has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder and indignity to human remains.
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Investigators believe Singh was killed on Dec. 4 inside the downtown Hamilton apartment she shared with Smith. Hamilton Police began a detailed search of the Glanbrook Landfill in Caledonia on Feb. 24, after tracing the garbage disposal route from Singh’s apartment building. Partial human remains were located at the site on May 21.
DNA testing conducted by the Centre of Forensic Sciences later confirmed the remains belonged to Singh.
Detective Sergeant Daryl Reid said surveillance footage showed Singh never left the apartment alive after December 4. “As the investigation unfolded, evidence suggested that Shalini Singh was the victim of foul play and may have been removed from her building by way of the garbage disposal system,” Reid said.
Smith was arrested on June 20 in Burlington and formally charged in connection with Singh’s death.
According to court records and a 2023 Ontario Court of Appeal ruling, Smith has a history of violence. He was previously found not criminally responsible for assaulting his mother and a neighbour in 2012 due to mental illness.
Despite opposition from his psychiatrist, the Crown, and St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton, he was granted increased freedoms under psychiatric supervision. Singh, citing her experience in mental health, had supported his discharge at the time.
Police described the landfill search as one of the most extensive and complex operations they have undertaken. Reid said the effort was not only about collecting evidence but also about giving Singh’s family long-awaited answers. “It still is a shock to them to get the confirmation,” he said.
Smith remains in custody. No other suspects are being sought. The investigation is ongoing.
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