A public inquiry into how former nurse Elizabeth Wettlaufer murdered several of her patients has resumed in Toronto.
An American professor, who studies serial killers in the healthcare field, has testified that Wettlaufer’s crimes were nearly impossible to detect.
(Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star)
Beatrice Crofts Yorker with California State University Los Angeles told the inquiry one way to catch such serial killers is through examining death data, such as increase and clusters.
But Yorker says there was no discernable pattern in these killings.
The expert went on to say this case has broken new ground in understanding serial killers in the healthcare profession as no other such killer has provided as much insight as Wettlaufer through her confession to police and an interview with inquiry lawyers.
The 51-year-old Wettlaufer confessed to killing eight patients and attempting to kill others with insulin overdoses.
She’s currently serving a life sentence.
The inquiry’s looking into what failings allowed the crimes to take place and what can be done to prevent such tragedies in the future.