Partner of Ontario woman who went missing in December charged with murder after remains found in landfill

Samantha Beattie · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 23, 2025 11:44 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

WARNING: This communicative contains disturbing details.

Hamilton constabulary person charged the live-in spouse of Shalini Singh with second-degree execution aft her partial remains were recovered successful a landfill past month. 

Jeffery Smith, 42, was arrested successful a Burlington, Ont., parking batch connected Friday near his family's home, Det. Sgt. Daryl Reid told reporters Monday. He was besides charged with indignity to quality remains, related to her assemblage being disposed of done an flat gathering garbage system, Reid said.

His apprehension came soon aft Singh's remains were positively identified done DNA investigating connected Friday. 

Police judge Singh was killed connected Dec. 4 — aft she spoke to her mother, Anita Singh, connected the telephone astir 7 p.m. ET — or successful the early-morning hours of Dec. 5 in the flat wherever she lived with Smith. 

Investigators theorized aboriginal on, aft reviewing hundreds of hours of surveillance footage, that Singh ne'er near the gathering live aft Dec. 4 and could've been killed soon after. They traced the building's garbage from that clip play to the Glanbrook landfill.

After months of combing done garbage, constabulary officers recovered quality remains connected May 21.

Singh's household has struggled waiting for answers.

Her father, Dalip Singh, called it "sheer torture" erstwhile interviewed by CBC Hamilton successful February. On Monday, constabulary said Singh's household has requested privacy to process her death. 

"Even though they've waited this agelong and the infinitesimal has built up to this, it's inactive a daze to them to get the confirmation," said Reid. 

Hospital warned tribunal of 'significant threat'

Smith has a past of assault, arsenic outlined successful a 2023 Court of Appeal ruling in a abstracted case. That lawsuit progressive St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton opposing the Ontario Review Board's determination to merchandise Smith into the assemblage without supervision. The committee reviews cases of radical recovered not criminally responsible. 

In 2012, Smith was charged successful the onslaught of his parent and the battle of a neighbour, and was aboriginal recovered not criminally liable owed to a intelligence disorder, according to the Court of Appeal.

He was held astatine 2 intelligence wellness in-patient centres, including St. Joseph's, until 2017, erstwhile helium was allowed to unrecorded successful the community, said the court. He was concisely readmitted for a clip successful 2018 aft investigating affirmative for cocaine. 

In 2022, the Ontario Review Board considered granting him implicit discharge, meaning his intelligence wellness attraction wouldn't beryllium overseen by St. Joseph's Forensic Outpatient Program, the Court of Appeal's determination said. 

The hospital, Smith's treating psychiatrist and the Crown were each opposed, agreeing that "Smith posed a important menace to the information of the nationalist and should truthful stay nether the board's supervision," said the Court of Appeal, which summarized the proceedings.

Another doc who assessed Smith determined the "most apt hazard scenario" would impact Smith not taking his medications, withdrawing from his parents and abusing substances, starring to a instrumentality of his "psychosis." 

"In [the doctor's] opinion, these risk factors would apt origin Mr. Smith to enactment retired violently ... with his apt victims being those closest to him," noted the Court of Appeal. 

The committee heard from 1 idiosyncratic who advocated for Smith's release, his then-close person and roommate, Singh.

She testified to her acquisition moving successful the intelligence wellness tract and cognition of Smith's medications, said the Court of Appeal.

Singh's parents antecedently told CBC Hamilton they weren't alert of immoderate issues successful her relationship with Smith. 

Absolute discharge upheld

The board's five-person panel was divided, but the majority, comprised of 2 ineligible representatives and a subordinate of the public, found helium didn't airs a "significant" menace and granted the implicit discharge.

They noted helium had a beardown enactment ethic and has done "extremely well" with nary convulsive incidents successful a decade, and could receive support astatine the Schizophrenia Outpatient Clinic. And they determined Singh would beryllium a suitable idiosyncratic to show him and guarantee helium was taking his medication. 

The board's two members, who were doctors, didn't agree, stating helium was continuing to "meet the threshold for important menace to nationalist safety." 

St. Joseph's appealed the decision to the Court of Appeal, arguing Smith should beryllium much intimately monitored and noting his treatment team hadn't had the accidental to conscionable with Singh to "independently measure her ability" to negociate Smith.  

"In our view, it does not overmuch matter," said the Court of Appeal. 

It yet ruled determination was nary ground to interfere, dismissing the hospital's appeal and upholding the implicit discharge.

When asked Monday if intelligence wellness was a origin successful the sidesplitting of Singh, Reid, with Hamilton police, declined to comment, saying that would beryllium up to the courts to decide. 

If you're successful contiguous information oregon fearfulness for your information oregon that of others astir you, delight telephone 911. If you're affected by household oregon intimate spouse violence, you tin look for assistance through crisis lines and section enactment services. ​​