An investigation into the death of a Lethbridge woman while in police custody has been completed by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team.
The woman, identified in the report as AP, or Affected Person, died in custody in Sept. 2023 after being arrested for Assault Causing Bodily Harm in connection to a Sept. 1 stabbing.
The report stated that when the woman was arrested, police found a small amount of suspected drugs on her person. She was taken into custody and reportedly showed signs of an overdose, including being extremely drowsy.
Emergency medical services attended the LPS short-term holding facility at 12:38 a.m. on Sept. 2, with the AP brought to Chinook Regional Hospital. The AP was treated and returned to police custody, where she later died that night.
An autopsy was performed on Sept. 5, with the pathologist reporting the cause of death as acute p-fluorofentanyl (an analogue of fentanyl) intoxication.
The pathologist found that the woman’s post-mortem p-fluorofentanyl level was higher than a blood sample taken at the hospital on Sept. 2 and was “compatible with repeated drug use following discharge from hospital.”
In conclusion, ASIRT said there were no reasonable grounds to believe that a criminal offence had occurred in connection with the AP’s death.
The Lethbridge Police Service has told ASIRT that it now has a paramedic on duty at its short-term holding facility 24-hours a day and where it cannot have one present; more medical attention is given to those in custody.
The full ASIRT report is available online.
