Mother whose son died in OPP custody frustrated SIU cleared officers of wrongdoing

CTV’s Spencer Turcotte speaks to the mother of Nathaniel Schofield, who died while in OPP custody.

A mother’s heartbreak is being amplified by the findings of a Special Investigations Unit report that was released on Monday.

Officers and guards were cleared of any criminal charges for the 2024 death of a 36-year-old Arthur, Ont. man while he was in custody at the Ontario Provincial Police detachment in Rockwood.

Now, nearly nine months after Nathaniel Schofield’s death, his mother thought she’d have some closure over her son’s death. But Faye Dzikewich said it feels further away.

“It’s pretty indescribable. I feel like I’m reliving the pain, and then some,” she explained. “Trying to match paramedic reports with what the SIU says. None of it lines up. I can’t make sense out of it. It keeps me up all night.”

Schofield was arrested in connection to a domestic violence incident on July 9, 2024. According to the SIU report, he became very ill overnight and, by 10:24 a.m. the following morning, he had no vital signs.

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

But his mother does not believe those drugs caused his death.

“If they knew or thought this was actually an overdose, which I don’t believe in a million years that someone overdoses 14 hours later, I really believe it would have come out long ago, and they would have loved to say that,” Dzikewich said.

Her son, she explained, was prescribed medication that was lethal to come off of, and he did not have access to it in his cell.

“I believe [the SIU] is trying to paint my son in a really bad light and it’s more about taking the focus off the neglect and the pain that he suffered all night long while in their care,” Dzikewich said.

The report indicated two doses of Narcan were administered to Schofield, but a defibrillator was not used. That was a fatal mistake, according to his mother.

Dzikewich’s lawyer said he’s not surprised the officers and guards were cleared of any wrongdoing.

“It’s not an institution that builds trust between the families who have lost loved ones,” Davin Charney said. “On that very first day, being misled by the OPP, as she sits in court the whole day expecting her son who had already passed away. She’s sitting there in court waiting for him to appear so that she can assist with getting him released.”

Charney also said he will continue to help Dzikewich’s fight for answers, beginning with a police complaint through the Law Enforcement’s Complaints Agency.

“Ultimately, there will be a coroner’s inquest some years from now, unfortunately,” Charney said, referring to how long it typically takes for those inquests to get underway. “All of the circumstances of Nathaniel’s death will be examined.”

It is a painful and long process, but one that Dzikewich hopes will bring peace to her family, especially Schofield’s children – her grandchildren.

“I think he’d be very proud of me,” Dzikewich said. “I think [my grandkids] are going to understand everything once they get older.”