Police say a 79-year-old woman found dead in Fenelon Falls last week was murdered

An arrest warrant has been issued for 48-year-old Stephen Whiteway of Fenelon Township, who is charged with second-degree murder

An OPP police car with lights flashing. (Photo: Ontario Provincial Police)

A 79-year-old woman who was found dead in Fenelon Falls last week was murdered, according to police, and an arrest warrant has been issued for a suspect.

On Monday (October 2), officers with the Kawartha Lakes Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were called after the woman was found dead in a residence on Kanata Trail near Cameron Lake just north of Fenelon Falls.

Police considered the woman’s death suspicious and a port-mortem was scheduled to determine the cause of death. The Kawartha Lakes OPP Crime Unit began an investigation under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch, with assistance from members of the OPP Central Region Crime Unit, Kawartha Lakes OPP Community Street Crime Unit, OPP Forensic Identification Services, and OPP Regional Support Team,, and in conjunction with the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario and Ontario Forensic Pathology Service.

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On Tuesday (October 10), police deemed the suspicious death a homicide and issued an arrest warrant for 48-year-old Stephen Whiteway of Fenelon Township. Whiteway, who is is known to frequent the Lindsay area, has been charged with second-degree murder.

Police have not released the name of the victim or details of any relationship between the accused man and the victim.

Anyone with information that might assist the investigation is asked to call Kawartha Lakes OPP at 1-888-310-1122. If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit a tip online at www.khcrimestoppers.com. You may be eligible for a reward from Crime Stoppers of up to $2,000.