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BRANTFORD – The 79-year-old widow charged with her elderly husband’s long-unsolved homicide remained in custody as of Thursday, Ontario Provincial Police say.
It was the early afternoon of Nov. 24, 2022, when Gordon Oughtred, 82, was found on the property of his Salt Springs Church Road farm, located in a rural area southeast of Brantford. In the aftermath, police were urging anyone with information to come forward.
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Now, in a shocking twist, his 79-year-old widow, Elfgard Oughtred, known as Elfi, has been charged by Brant OPP with second-degree murder. The charge was actually laid more than a month ago, on July 9, but no typical media release was issued by police.
When questioned about that, OPP spokesperson Sgt. Ed Sanchuk said the matter was complex.
“We acknowledge the questions and concerns raised as to why a media release was not issued,” he said. “Due to the complexity of this ongoing investigation and to protect its integrity and potential court proceedings, we did not issue a media release immediately following the arrest.”
In a press release on Thursday, police said the accused remains in custody.
According to court documents obtained by The Brantford Expositor, Elfgard Oughtred no longer lives on the farm but at a Brantford facility for seniors.
Since being charged, Oughtred or her representative have appeared seven times in Brantford’s Ontario Court of Justice. The family declined to comment on her arrest.
His death shocked neighbours on the rural road where Oughtred’s Sunny Terrace Farms was located. The road was normally only used by those living there, with one former resident saying: “If a car drove by, you knew who it was.”
That led to concern about who would kill an elderly man described as a good neighbour with a collection of vintage tractors and a reputation for winning tractor pulls
According to his obituary, Oughtred left behind his wife of 30 years along with four children, nine grandkids and seven great-grandchildren.
A year after his death, Brant OPP appealed to the public for information, with Sanchuk saying “someone still holds the key to finding the person or people responsible.”
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