Nancy Grewal

Nancy Grewal was a woman of many talents and strong convictions. Born in India on January 19, 1981, she had been a professional musician before moving to Canada in 2018 and settling in Windsor, Ontario. In her new home, the 45-year-old woman worked as a personal support worker, caring for others in her community. But she was also known to thousands of followers on social media, where she was a prominent influencer and activist. Creating content primarily in Punjabi, the Sikh woman was an outspoken critic of violent extremism within the Khalistan separatist movement. In the months and weeks before her death, she had received numerous death threats for her online activism, telling a reporter she had received as many as 40.

The threats escalated from online harassment to a terrifying real-world attack in November 2025. Surveillance video captured an arsonist pouring an accelerant on the front porch of Nancy’s Windsor home and setting it ablaze. Just days before she was killed, on February 25, 2026, she spoke to a CBC News reporter about her fears regarding extremism. On the evening of Tuesday, March 3, 2026, those fears were realized. Nancy was finishing a shift at a client’s home on Todd Lane in the quiet town of LaSalle. As she left the residence around 9:30 p.m., she was confronted by an attacker who stabbed her multiple times before fleeing. According to her sister, Nancy was stabbed in the back, and the wound punctured her lungs. The client inside the home called for emergency services, and Nancy was rushed to the hospital, where she died from her injuries.

The LaSalle Police Service immediately launched an investigation, executing search warrants at the Todd Lane home and Nancy's residence in Windsor. They quickly stated that the occupants of the client's home were not persons of interest and that they believed the murder was a targeted, intentional act, not a random crime. On March 11, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Criminal Investigation Branch was brought in to take the lead on the homicide case. The OPP also took over the investigation into the November 2025 arson at Nancy's home, exploring the "potential link" between the two crimes.

Investigators believe the killer planned the attack meticulously. Detective Inspector Mike Deyell of the OPP stated that the assailant likely spent days canvassing the neighborhood, planning the murder and a quick escape. Police think the killer parked a vehicle on a dead-end, unpaved section of 10th Street, which is north of Todd Lane. From there, the attacker used a large wooded area behind the homes on Todd Lane as a hidden path to approach the scene and to flee afterward. This laneway provided a direct route to Highway 401, which police noted was "a good escape route."

In the wake of the murder, social media accounts linked to the Khalistan movement claimed responsibility for her death, though some media commentators urged caution, citing the potential for misinformation. Nancy’s sister, Alishaa, questioned why police had not released the surveillance video of the arson sooner, after her sister had been reporting threats since November. "She was there for the community," Detective Inspector Deyell said, "and we’re asking for the community’s assistance in helping us all people that were involved in this homicide to justice."

As of June 2026, three months after Nancy Grewal was killed, investigators reported the case was still very active but that they were not yet ready to publicly identify any suspects. Police have been reviewing hundreds of hours of surveillance footage submitted by the public, which has yielded "key evidence." They have appealed for anyone who may have seen a vehicle parked in the laneway on 10th Street in the weeks leading up to March 3, or who may have dashcam footage from the area between 8:45 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. that night, to come forward. No arrests have been made, and the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the OPP, LaSalle Police Service, or Crime Stoppers.