An independent RCMP watchdog says officers mishandled a case involving a Nova Scotia woman who was later murdered by her neighbour. The woman had previously reported that the same neighbour had sexually assaulted and harassed her. Nearly 10 years after the woman’s death, the watchdog report concludes that the RCMP failed in multiple areas of the original response. It says investigators did not handle key parts of the matter appropriately and that improvements are needed to strengthen how sexual assault allegations are investigated across Canada. The findings are presented as an assessment of the RCMP’s conduct throughout the case, rather than as a reassessment of the underlying crime itself. While the watchdog’s review focuses on policing and process, the report connects the earlier complaint to the eventual killing, highlighting the consequences of the alleged investigative failures. The watchdog’s recommendations are intended to drive changes in RCMP practices for sexual assault files, aiming to improve consistency, thoroughness and investigative follow-through. The RCMP has not been cited in the provided summaries as disputing the watchdog’s overall conclusions.