THUNDER BAY - The reinvestigation into nine sudden deaths involving Indigenous people, as recommended by the Office of the Independent Police Review Director in late 2018, are underway in the city.
On Tuesday, members of the investigative team were on the scene at a Victoria Avenue East apartment building where 18-year-old Shania Bob was found on the morning of Feb. 5, 2014 following a 911 call received by first responders reporting that a woman was not breathing.
Bob was transported to hospital where she was pronounced dead.
According to Gerry McNeilly’s report, Broken Trust: Indigenous People and the Thunder Bay Police Service, released in December 2018, the investigation into Bob’s death was deficient in several critical areas, “leaving important questions unanswered which could affect the ultimate conclusions in the case.”
The report states that no formal statements were taken from anyone on the scene and no acquaintances of Bob were interviewed.
There were also observations that suggest fingerprint impressions or a bare foot impression on the toilet seat near the pipe in the bathroom where Bob was reportedly first located by someone in the apartment.
“There appeared to be no real structure to the investigation or consideration in an organized way of the evidence as it was collected,” McNeilly wrote. “For example, it appears that the absence or presence of a palm print impression or a bare footprint impression did not affect the course of the investigation in any way.”
There was also evidence of illicit drug activities in the apartment, a Caucasian male was at the scene and permitted to identify himself only verbally and took a cell phone from the apartment, and there were inconsistencies in what another witness told police and what was found on the scene.
“A senior officer involved in the investigation acknowledged that, in hindsight, additional forensic measures should have been employed,” McNeilly wrote. “A premature conclusion was reached as to Ms. C.D.’s [abbreviation used in report] death and this infected the very limited work that followed. A reinvestigation is required.”
The reinvestigation into the death of Aaron Loon, whose body was found on March 25, 2015 on a pathway near North Junot Avenue, will also be taking place this week.
“This is but one of a number of cases in which an Indigenous person was presumed by TBPS to have died suddenly as a result of hypothermia or drowning,” McNeilly wrote.
“In a number of these cases, police failed to recognize that findings of hypothermia or drowning did not relieve them of their obligation to determine the circumstances under which these individuals froze to death or drowned, including the role, if any, played by others in contributing to their deaths.”
The report states deficiencies in the investigation included a failure to do complete forensic work at the scene, that blood found at the scene was not submitted for analysis, a single witness was only asked rudimentary questions, the file did not indicate if any other individuals known to be with Loon shortly before his death were contacted, and emergency first responders were not interviewed.
“Based on our interviews, it was evident that at least two investigators on this file failed to have a complete understanding of how the deceased’s injuries had to be considered,” McNeilly wrote.
“The investigation into G.H.’s death was deficient in important areas. This prevents a proper determination as to whether it was or was not attributable to accident and unrelated to foul play. A reinvestigation is required.”
The other sudden deaths to be reinvestigated include Christine Gliddy, Marie Spence, Sarah Moonias, as well as four cases involved in the Seven Youth Inquest – Jethro Anderson, Curran Strang, Kyle Morrisseau, and Jordan Wabasse.
The reinvestigations include a three-tiered framework, including an executive governance committee, an investigative resource committee, and a blended investigative team.
Dirk Huyer, chief coroner for Ontario, who is part of the executive governance committee, said he expects the reinvestigations will be complete by July, but added investigators will take as much time as they need on each case.
