The Moose Jaw Police Service has been tasked with looking into the death of a 44-year-old woman who died while in custody at the Sandy Bay RCMP detachment in northern Saskatchewan.
According to the RCMP, the woman was found unresponsive in her cell Sunday at around 11:20 p.m. She had been in custody for about three hours.
Two Sandy Bay RCMP officers tried to resuscitate the woman while waiting for paramedics. She was pronounced dead by EMS just after 12:15 a.m. Monday.
“In accordance with the RCMP Act, Saskatchewan RCMP has requested the Moose Jaw Police Service conduct an independent external investigation into the circumstances surrounding the in-custody death of the 44-year-old female,” the Mounties said in a media release.
The Saskatchewan Coroners Service also is to be involved in the investigation.
As well, the RCMP has asked the Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice and Attorney General to appoint an independent investigation observer in accordance with the Saskatchewan Police Act, and a second independent investigation observer of First Nation ancestry under the Saskatchewan Police Amendment Act, 2020.
The RCMP didn’t identify the woman and said no further information would be released.