Toronto police routinely issue press releases appealing to suspects' consciences, calling on them to turn themselves in to face police. On Friday, however, officers appealed to a burglar's self-preservation after the bandit may have inadvertently infected him or herself with a potentially deadly bacteria during a break-in.
The culprit burgled a house near Bayview Avenue and Governors Road in midtown Thursday while no one was home. The suspect left the scene empty-handed, but may have taken more with them from the scene than they realized. The homeowner, it turns out, has been diagnosed with C. difficile.
The superbug, which can cause severe intestinal problems, has been linked to 24 deaths in Ontario since an outbreak in the spring.
Police's message was stark: "The Toronto Police Service is appealing to the suspect to turn himself/herself into police and seek medical attention," it wrote in a press release.
Adrian Morrow