Nathalie Warmerdam described as woman with 'courage, integrity'
CBC News | Posted: September 23, 2015 12:56 PM | Last Updated: September 23, 2015
Mother of 2 was once in a relationship with triple homicide suspect, had fought for better policing
Friends and colleagues of one of the three women killed yesterday near Wilno, Ont., remember her as a woman with integrity and courage who fought for better policing in her community.
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Nathalie Warmerdam's body was found by Ontario Provincial Police on Highway 512, also known as Foymount Road, which runs through the communities of Foymount, Cormac and Lake Clear, on Tuesday morning.
The 48-year-old was once in a relationship with the suspect, 57-year-old Basil Borutski, her friends said, though when it occurred and ended were unclear.
Warmerdam volunteered with a community organization called Co-operative Policing: Killaloe Area, which aims to make "positive changes" in policing at the Killaloe OPP detachment, according to its website.
The group's president, Genevieve Way, told CBC News on Tuesday that the relationship between Warmerdam and Borutski soured, and she went to police for protection.
'She cared about her community so much'
"Nathalie certainly took all the steps she could to protect herself against Basil, in terms of going to the police and taking care of herself and getting away from him and saying no to him and all of that," Way said.
"Nathalie stood up for what she believed in. She stood up for a healthy relationship and she said no to the bully in her life. She kicked him out."
Way described Warmerdam as a dedicated, "brilliant" problem solver, and a good mother to her two children.
"To stand up in a small community and say that's something's wrong with policing takes a lot of courage, and Nathalie had that courage, and she had that integrity. She cared about her community so much," Way said.
"She stood up for what was good and right in her world, and we've lost an amazing woman today."