Skip to content

OPP charges woman in connection with 2023 sudden-death investigation

Victim from Kitchener had been found in a vehicle along Wellington Road 34
2023-opp-police-decal-on-cruiser-stock-turl
File photo

NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
*************************
PUSLINCH TOWNSHIP - The Wellington County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has charged an individual in connection with a 2023 sudden-death investigation.

On Sept. 8, 2023, the Wellington County OPP Crime Unit, under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB), began an investigation into a sudden-death after a deceased individual was discovered in a sedan along Wellington Road 34.

The deceased was identified as Juan David Escobar Ortiz, 32, of Kitchener.

On March 19, 2025, members of the Repeat Offenders Parole Enforcement Squad, with the assistance of Waterloo Regional Police Service, arrested Jessica Bygrave, 25, of Durham at an address in Kitchener. This individual is charged under the Criminal Code (CC) with:

  • Indignity to a dead body, section 182(b)
  • Theft under $5,000, section 334(b)

The accused is scheduled to appear for their next court appearance at the Ontario Court of Justice in Guelph on March 27.

The Wellington County OPP is continuing this investigation under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch. Anyone with information in relation to this investigation is encouraged to contact the Wellington County OPP at 1-888-310-1122, referencing CIB#955-10-2023-122, or the nearest police authority. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca.

*************************