ASIRT report clears Lethbridge police in 2023 death of woman in custody who overdosed

An investigation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) into an incident where a woman died while in police custody found the police were not at fault for her death.

On Sept. 2, 2023, a little after 11:30 p.m., a woman was arrested by police in connection with an aggravated assault.

Police say the woman appeared to be highly intoxicated by unknown substances.

After being assessed by EMS, she was transported to Chinook Regional Hospital, where she was kept under care of medical staff throughout Saturday, until they released her back into police custody.

Police placed her in a holding cell, where she was discovered unresponsive. She was declared dead after life-saving efforts by police were unsuccessful.

Friday, ASIRT’s report into the woman’s death determined that officers responded appropriately to the woman’s medical distress.

An autopsy done on Sept.5, 2023, listed the cause of death as acute p-fluorofentanyl (an analogue of fentanyl) intoxication.

“The pathologist found that the post-mortem p-fluorofentanyl level was higher than the hospital blood sample taken at 6:12 a.m. and stated that this was compatible with repeated drug use following discharge from hospital.”

The report concluded that when the woman was first taken into custody, officers “correctly identified that her medical condition required the assistance of professionals.”

They called EMS, who transported her to Chinook Hospital, where she remained for over 15 hours, being treated for an overdose. While hospitalized, she took more drugs and they treated her for that, too, until a doctor determined she was fit to be released.

“There are no reasonable grounds to believe that... LPS staff committed a criminal offence,” the report concluded.

“The problem of where to hold intoxicated persons is a complex one,” it said. “Often, police facilities end up holding such people by default after they are no longer suitable for a hospital.

“They would be safer in facilities specifically designed for intoxicated persons.”