Sudbury woman charged with making false missing persons report

A 31-year-old woman from Greater Sudbury has been charged with obstructing police in connection with an apparent false missing persons case that dates back to August. (File)

A 31-year-old woman from Greater Sudbury has been charged with obstructing police in connection with an apparent false missing persons case that dates back to August.

She was charged Nov. 4, police said.

“On Aug. 28 … the accused contacted police requesting a well‑being check for an individual in the community,” police said in a news release Tuesday.

“Patrol officers initiated an investigation but were unable to obtain any information related to the person’s whereabouts. Officers continued to follow up on the incident over the next two weeks, when the decision was made to escalate the incident to a missing persons investigation.”

It was assigned to the missing persons unit Sept. 13 because of “concerns about the length of time the individual had reportedly not been seen or heard from.”

She was living with him

“Throughout the investigation, officers had multiple points of contact with the accused, who repeatedly denied having any information about the individual’s location,” police said.

“The investigation revealed the accused was not only believed to be in contact with the missing person but was also living with them.”

The missing man was located Oct. 30, police said, “in good health in the company of the accused.”

She has been released from custody on an undertaking with a court date of Dec. 17.

“Police remind the public that missing persons investigations are complex and resource‑intensive, requiring significant time, personnel, and coordination across multiple units,” the release said.

“Providing false information or deliberately misleading investigators is a criminal offence that diverts critical resources, delays responses to other urgent incidents, and undermines public safety and trust.”