The circumstances that allowed an Indigenous teenager to take his own life metres from his group home and go undiscovered for months can only be remedied by an inquest from the Ontario coroner, according to a request from the boy’s loved ones.
Devon Freeman’s grandmother and members of the southern Ontario First Nation where he was born said a communication breakdown resulted in a particularly horrifying death for the teen, who died by suicide while under the government’s care.
An official complaint filed to the regional supervising coroner in Hamilton said the 16-year-old was last seen alive in October 2017 near the Flamborough, Ont., group home where he had spent much of that year. Seven months later, in April 2018, his body was found in a wooded area roughly 35 metres from the home.
The complaint from Pamela Freeman and the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation said communication breakdowns marred the case from beginning to end, with key players being kept in the dark about such crucial details as his mental health history and the length of time he was believed to be missing.
“It is important for his full story to be investigated and told to the public, in its entirety and in detail, through the vehicle of an inquest,” the letter reads. “…The public has an interest in being made aware of the many systemic gaps and problems in a child welfare system that ultimately failed Devon, contributed to his death, and puts other children in similar circumstances at risk — especially if those children share Devon’s Indigenous heritage.”
Ontario’s Office of the Chief Coroner will “duly consider the family’s request for an inquest review,” according to spokeswoman Cheryl Mahyr. She declined to offer further comment on the case.
[…]
See Also:
(1) Merge Ontario’s Catholic and public school systems: Poll
(2) Hiking taxes by stealth unfair to public
(3) Auditors expose false political claims on climate change
