Father seeks answers in daughter’s death while in custody

WINNIPEG — The father of a 25-year-old woman who died after being found unresponsive in a cell at the Winnipeg Remand Centre has unanswered questions about what led to her in-custody death.

Norman Lagimodiere, 48, said his daughter Kiana Everett was rushed to hospital from the downtown pre-trial detention centre June 28. She died a few minutes after she was taken off life support Wednesday.

“How does a 25 year old die in custody?” Lagimodiere said. “It’s very important that I get the true story of what really happened to my daughter. I need answers and I want an inquest because this isn’t the first father or mother that has to deal with this.”

An inquest is mandatory when a person dies in custody in Manitoba. The purpose is to examine the facts surrounding the cause and manner of death. An inquest does not assign blame, but a judge may make recommendations in a bid to prevent similar deaths.

The province has reported three in-custody deaths involving the Winnipeg Remand Centre in less than 10 months.

The minimum, medium and maximum security facility, at the corner of Kennedy Street and York Avenue, has a rated capacity of 281 men and eight women, according to the province’s website.

Everett was a member of Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation, about 240 kilometres north of Winnipeg. Lagimodiere is a councillor for the Interlake community.

Lagimodiere said he was told his daughter had been in the remand centre since Feb. 24, and was on “suicide watch” when she was found unresponsive in a cell that had surveillance cameras.

He said he was told she vomited, choked and stopped breathing before she was later revived. She was brain dead while on life support, the father said.

Lagimodiere wants to know how often staff checked on Everett while she was in the cell and if protocol was followed while monitoring her.

He is hoping to meet with the remand centre’s superintendent to learn more about what happened before she died. He plans to visit the facility today.

“I want answers but I’ll have to wait and let everything play out,” Lagimodiere said.

Manitoba Justice announced the death in a news release Friday. The news release did not identify the woman.

Everett’s death was reported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which is required by law.

Lagimodiere is waiting to learn more from an autopsy that was conducted Thursday. He said his daughter was accused of theft but he wasn’t “100 per cent sure” why she was in the remand centre.

He said she was a ward of the child-welfare system from the age of three or four until she was in his care from the age of 16.

“The system failed her, and then she went to the justice system. The justice system failed her as well,” Lagimodiere said.

He said he wants “transparency and accountability for what goes on in the jail system.”

“The justice minister needs to step up and get answers of what’s happening in the system. You’ve got a First Nations premier that should be stepping up and really looking into what’s going on with this,” Lagimodiere said.

In the meantime, he is contacting lawyers to find out if one will represent his family.

“It’s just not going to be let go,” he said.

A 25-year-old man died while in custody at the Winnipeg Remand Centre on March 25. A 39-year-old man died at the facility Sept. 15.

An inquest has been called into the death of Winnipeg resident Tiana Obirek, 25, who was being held at the remand centre.

An earlier news release from the chief medical examiner’s office said she vomited and was placed on continuous monitoring with checks every 30 minutes Oct. 21, 2023.

She became unresponsive during one of the checks and was pronounced dead despite efforts to resuscitate her, the news release said.

Obirek’s immediate cause of death was determined to be toxic effects of methamphetamine, para-fluorofentanyl and bromazepam. Her death was ruled accidental.

» Winnipeg Free Press