Elderly woman’s body found outside Laval seniors’ residence

An 88-year-old woman was found dead outside a seniors’ home early Monday morning in Laval, north of Montreal.

Laval police (SPL) received a 911 call at 6:50 a.m. about the incident near the Villagia de l’Île Paton, a private seniors’ residence (RPA) on Promenade des Îles in the Chomedey area.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Marc-Olivier Naud, who says the victim is his grandmother, explains that she struggled for years to walk and had long-term cognitive difficulties.

“My mother said, ‘It can’t be. It can’t be,’” he said, standing outside the residence on Monday morning. “She talked to her yesterday, and she was fine.”

He notes that she experienced a similar episode last summer.

“I don’t know how or where they found her, but it was 25 degrees [Celsius],” he said. “Now, at minus 15 [degrees Celsius], what happened, happened. There’s no excuse.”

The circumstances surrounding the incident remain unknown.

The RPA is described as a luxury residence with 281 units, including 42 units for those requiring assistance and 239 for autonomous residents.

One man, who says he lives at the RPA, explains that anyone can easily enter or leave the residence, especially after 9:30 p.m., when the front desk is unstaffed.

“If it were my grandmother or my mother, I would be worried,” said Georges, who refused to give his last name. “We think that if they live in an official residence that they’re safe, but accidents happen all the time.”

A spokesperson with the Coroner’s office says Coroner Amélie Lavigne has been assigned to investigate.