A coroner’s inquest into the drug-related deaths of five inmates at an Ontario prison was told Monday that one of them used to “self-medicate” with drugs to deal with mental illness and tragedies in his life.
Steven Frenette’s mother wrote in a statement read at the inquest that her son had struggled with drug addiction for years.
“Steven battled a lifelong illness of chronic depression, high anxiety disorder and PTSD, which led him to self-medicate with medication to try to cope with the world that is so often… callous (toward) people who have mental illness.” Irma Van Oirschot wrote in her statement, which was read by a lawyer.
The inquest is looking into the circumstances of the deaths of the five inmates at the Central East Correctional Center in Lindsay, Ont. The deaths occurred at various times between October 2018 and April 2019.
Frenette, 35, died on September 20, 2018, according to the inquest.
His mother said her son “never wavered” in his love for her or the rest of his family. He noted that he turned to drugs to forget the losses of those he loved deeply.
“There was a lot of tragedy that would be a big failure to clean up,” he said. “His father died in 2000. The friends he loved died. His beloved grandfather died in 2015.”
The presiding medical examiner, Dr. Bob Reddock, said the inquest would look into drug overdose issues at the correctional facility where Frenette and the other inmates were held.
The inquest will hear evidence that will help them reach findings about the details of the deaths, he said, and jurors can make recommendations on how to prevent similar deaths in the future.
“You, the jury, have a critical role to play in the success of this investigation,” he said.
In addition to Frenette, the investigation is looking into the deaths of Daniel Foreman, 39, who died on October 3, 2018. David Bullen, 50, who died on December 29, 2018. Jonathan McConnell, 36, who died on April 28, 2019. and Susan Borja, 50, who died on August 10, 2019.
Jai Dhar, a lawyer for the Ontario coroner’s office, said the investigative team has been in contact with the families of the inmates and some did not want to participate in the investigation.
“Their families are still reeling from their losses, a loss they will likely never recover from,” he said. “We will respect their wishes and share the results of the investigation with them if they want.”
Reddoch said he had granted a seat at the inquest to Bullen’s father, who will be able to question witnesses during the inquest.
The inquest is expected to last 15 days and hear about 25 witnesses.
