DNA identifies remains of missing Shalini Singh, partner charged with 2nd-degree murder

Hamilton police have charged the partner of Shalini Singh with second-degree murder after human remains found in a local landfill were confirmed to be those of the missing woman.

The 40-year-old woman was reported missing by her family on Dec. 10, 2024, however her last contact with them was almost a week before that on Dec. 4. Officers say she was last seen on that day going into the apartment building where she lived with her common-law partner, Jeffery Smith.

The 42-year-old man was also reported missing with her, but he showed up at a family member’s house on Dec. 11. Throughout the investigation, authorities said Smith had been “uncooperative” with police.

Investigators believe Singh was killed in their apartment and her body was disposed of through the building’s garbage system.

GPS data confirmed waste from Singh’s building had been taken to the Glanbrook Landfill during the time of her disappearance. Officers began searching the landfill on Feb. 24.

Partial human remains were then found on May 21, but there was no confirmation of the identity at that time. Last Friday, DNA test results confirmed the partial human remains were those of Singh.

Later that day, Hamilton police arrested her partner Smith in a parking lot in Burlington. He has been charged with second-degree murder and indignity to human remains. Police say Smith appeared in court on Saturday morning.

Officers expect the landfill search to continue until this Friday.

READ MORE: Hamilton police searching Glanbrook Landfill for missing woman

Singh’s family has been informed of the latest developments in this case and have requested privacy.

“This is not only about resolving an investigation but it’s about giving answers to a family who have waited a very long time to get to this point,” Det. Sgt. Daryl Reid said during a press conference Monday.

“Even though they’ve waited this long and the moment has built up to this, it still is a shock to them to get the confirmation and we’re trying to get every answer we can for their family.”

At the time of Singh’s alleged murder, police say that she and Smith had been together for around five to seven years.

READ MORE: Hamilton police find partial human remains in landfill during search for missing Shalini Singh

– With files from CHCH News’ Amanda Pope