A public inquest into the death of Deanna Whitecap will be held October 28 to November 1, 2019, at the Holiday Inn and Suites at 1800 Prince of Wales Drive in Regina.
The first day of the inquest is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., with remaining start times to be determined by the presiding coroner.
Whitecap was found unresponsive in her cell at the RCMP Indian Head Detachment on September 2, 2017. Medical personnel responded and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Whitecap was taken by ambulance to the Indian Head hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.
Section 20 of The Coroners Act, 1999, states that the Chief Coroner shall hold an inquest into the death of a person who dies while an inmate at a jail or a correctional facility, unless the coroner is satisfied that the person’s death was due entirely to natural causes and was not preventable.
The Saskatchewan Coroners Service is responsible for the investigation of all sudden, unexpected deaths. The purpose of an inquest is to establish who died, when and where that person died and the medical cause and manner of death. The coroner’s jury may make recommendations to prevent similar deaths.
Coroner Robert Kennedy will preside at the inquest.
