Nearly two weeks have passed since a young woman passed away at the Saint John Regional Hospital, and few details have been released about her death.
Police have only called the case a "suspicious death" but no charges have been laid and authorities are saying little else about the death of 22-year-old Serena Perry.
Family members have been quoted as saying that Perry was in the hospital to seek treatment for mental health issues.
Given the sensitive nature of the case, observers say police are walking a fine line.
"Now it's one thing if this information comes out on social media, police can't control that," says criminologist Michael Boudreau. "They can control their own message and the last thing the police want is to publically embarrass the family and by extension, embarrassing themselves."
Police and hospital authorities say this case does not involve public safety issues at the Saint John Regional Hospital. The Horizon Health Network, which manages the hospital, says it is co-operating with the police investigation.
Mary Ann Campbell heads up the Centre of Criminal Justice Studies at the University of New Brunswick's Saint John campus. She says the tight-lipped stance taken by police may offer a hint on the status of the case.
"If the police have some indication of who the potential suspects are, or if the nature of the evidence suggests this is a one-time type of incident that is unlikely to be repeated, then they may not feel the need to fully inform the public in advance, until there is an actual charge laid and court proceedings that follow that when that information will become more known to the public," says Campbell.
So far, no arrests have been made in the case and police are not saying whether any suspects have been identified.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Mike Cameron
