Mother whose son died in OPP custody files new formal complaint

The mother of a man who died in OPP custody has filed a new formal complaint. CTV’s Hannah Schmidt explains why.

A Guelph, Ont. mother whose son died while in Ontario Provincial Police custody has filed a formal complaint with Ontario’s Law Enforcement Complaint Agency (LECA), claiming there’s more to the story surrounding his sudden death.

“I’m still a mess over everything and trying to make sense of all the unfairness, all the disruption,” said Faye Dzikewich. “I want his children to be looked after. I want justice for my son.”

Nathaniel Schofield was arrested in connection to an alleged domestic violence incident on July 9, 2024.

The 36-year-old was taken into custody at the OPP detachment in Rockwood.

According to a report released by the Special Investigations Unit in March, Schofield became very ill overnight and, by 10:24 a.m. the following morning, he had no vital signs.

An autopsy determined he overdosed on fentanyl and methamphetamines, with cocaine also found in his system.

To this day, Dzikewich does not believe those drugs caused his death.

“He had nothing on him upon arrest, like no drugs. We said this right from the beginning: an overdose made no sense,” said Dzikewich.

Two doses of Narcan were administered but a defibrillator was not used, according to the report. The SIU ruled officers acted within policy, but Dzikewich argues that was not the case.

“It wasn’t until the third call that the dispatcher came right out and asked the OPP, ‘Is he breathing? Is he conscious?’ And that’s when [police] said no. [Dispatch asked] ‘Have you done CPR?’ and they didn’t,” she explained.

Formal complaint filed

Dzikewich filed a complaint on June 12 with LECA after she watched a video of her son’s last moments with SIU investigators last month.

She claims officers who were monitoring him at the time were “neglectful” and “discreditable,” according to her complaint.

“They were reporting he was having seizures and they put him on his side and treated him as such. I’m watching the video going: what seizures? There’s no seizures,” said Dzikewich. “The CPR, the mandatory training that they are taught was never ever practiced. This could have saved Nathaniel’s life.”

Some of the allegations she made in her complaint include:

• Insufficient monitoring while in police custody
• Mishandling of a health emergency
• Delay in medical care
• Poor communication with family and the court
• A malfunctioning panic button at the station

“This was life-saving time that they wasted,” said Dzikewich. “Minutes matter in a crisis like this.”

Unlike the SIU, which only investigates possible criminal conduct involving police, LECA looks at broader issues like police policies, misconduct, neglect of duty and can conduct systemic reviews. It can also recommend disciplinary measures like reprimands, suspensions or the dismissal of an officer.

CTV News reached out to the agency for comment on the complaint.

“Due to the confidentiality provision in the Community Safety and Policing Act, the director cannot provide any further details,” an email from LECA said. “The director believes that commenting on allegations of police misconduct in the media would compromise his ability to then investigate these allegations in a fair manner.”

Const. Matthew Burton, a spokesperson for the OPP Wellington County Detachment, also shared a statement with CTV News.

“It would be inappropriate for us to comment as the matter is currently before the Law Enforcement Complaints Agency,” it read.

Spokesperson for the Ontario Provincial Police Association, Scott Mills, wrote in an email the “association fully supports our members involved who acted lawfully in accordance with their training and policy and procedure.”

Dzikewich said she didn’t file the complaint just to get accountability, but also get to the bottom of what happened in her son’s cell nearly a year ago, and to also finally get some peace.

“There’s so much I’ve learned through this and maybe that’s what I’m supposed to be doing,” she said. “Once I am stronger and healed, I want to help other people.”