2nd-degree murder charge laid for Spencerville homicide

04-Sep-2026

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Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say they've arrested a Smiths Falls resident in connection with a homicide south of Ottawa late last week and charged them with second-degree murder.

On Aug. 29, police said officers discovered a body at a residence on Crowder Road in Spencerville.

They first announced it as a suspicious death, then identified the victim as 37-year-old Chelsea Swinwood and pivoted to a homicide investigation.

Swinwood had been reported missing after last being seen on Aug. 22 in nearby Prescott.

On Sept 3, OPP said they arrested 35-year-old Justin Donovan-Biscope and charged him with second-degree murder and indignity to a body. He is scheduled to return to a courtroom on Sept 4.