Colton Clarkin fled Hillsborough Hospital while walking in grounds with his father, inquest hears

Nicola MacLeod · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 02, 2025 7:26 PM EDT | Last Updated: 25 minutes ago

Warning: This communicative deals with suicide. If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize has been struggling with intelligence health, you tin find resources for assistance astatine the bottommost of this story.

The inquest into the decease of Colton Clarkin began successful Charlottetown Wednesday — coating a representation of however the 27-year-old Emyvale antheral was capable to dice by termination portion classified arsenic an involuntary diligent astatine Hillsborough Hospital.

Clarkin was admitted to Health P.E.I. psychiatric installation successful September 2022 after helium was recovered not criminally liable for several offences. His grounds to that day included charges related to weapons, an equipped robbery and an assault. 

The household was told helium would get the assistance helium truthful intelligibly needed, but arsenic his parent Maggie Clarkin said as the inquest got underway, "319 days later, our lad was dead."

His begetter Alan Clarkin issued a plea for the inquest assemblage to urge amended attraction for addictions connected P.E.I., saying that if thing was done, "we are going to proceed to suffer loved ones astatine a increasing and alarming rate."

He added: "Colton was not immoderate forgotten addict that cipher cared about. He was loved deeply."

Trouble astatine his attraction program

The six-person assemblage heard from the archetypal 4 witnesses Wednesday: a Nova Scotia-based aesculapian examiner who performed the post-mortem exam, 2 Health P.E.I. unit based retired of Hillsborough Hospital, and an Ontario-based justice who served arsenic a ineligible expert.

In July 2023, Clarkin had lasting support to permission the attraction installation to be addiction attraction programs and to spell connected two-hour visits off-site with relatives and friends.

On the greeting of July 28, helium travelled to his time programme astatine the Provincial Addictions Treatment Facility successful Mount Herbert. But aft the session, unit told him he could not instrumentality until the adjacent 21-day programme started successful August due to the fact that helium had made a pistillate subordinate successful the programme uncomfortable. 

The inquest heard this was not the archetypal clip Clarkin had exhibited erratic oregon inappropriate behaviour successful a radical attraction program. 

Clarkin past returned to Hillsborough Hospital and told unit helium was feeling anxious. Because it had taken him truthful agelong to instrumentality to the installation by taxi, helium was tested for drugs. The results came backmost negative.

Earlier that day, nursing unit had noticed Clarkin had shaved his facial hair, which changed his appearance. He had besides taken each of his idiosyncratic belongings with him erstwhile helium near the installation connected a two-hour sojourn the time earlier and did not bring them backmost erstwhile helium returned. 

All this sent disconnected alarm bells for the caregiver who testified Wednesday, saying helium thought Clarkin mightiness beryllium intending to fly the installation — thing helium had done before.

The caregiver called the attending psychiatrist and suggested Clarkin's clearance level and privileges should beryllium downgraded, thing that tin hap astatine immoderate clip if unit fishy thing is awry, truthful that patients can't permission the facility. 

But the psychiatrist said that alternatively of leaving, Clarkin could person an accompanied grounds pass. This would let him to locomotion astir the building's exterior with his begetter for 2 30-minute periods.

It was aft the 2nd half-hour excursion that Clarkin's begetter returned to the infirmary and told unit his lad had taken disconnected into the woods.

Police searched for the diligent utilizing dogs and a drone but could not find him.

His assemblage was recovered connected the Confederation Trail northbound of Charlottetown the adjacent morning. The aesculapian examiner testified the origin was decease by hanging.

Apart for caffeine and cotininem, an alkaloid recovered successful tobacco, nary drugs were recovered successful his system.

Trouble earlier his death

During his clip astatine Hillsborough Hospital, Clarkin's concern was described during lawsuit absorption calls arsenic "complex." 

"While Colton whitethorn person struggled with addiction, helium was ne'er diagnosed with a mental-health upset oregon psychosis passim his clip astatine Hillsborough Hospital, nor was Colton ever suicidal anterior to his clip astatine Hillsborough," his father told the inquest.

Hillsborough Hospital unit told the assemblage they aren't trained to dainty addictions, but alternatively work to stabilize patients with acute issues and link them to different programs.

Clarkin was receiving one-on-one addiction counselling, arsenic good arsenic being referred to the time programme astatine Mount Herbert. 

"It's our content that the prolonged 10 months Colton spent astatine Hillsborough, without due attraction for his addiction issues and without immoderate anticipation connected the skyline that his concern would change, are the crushed we're present today," his begetter said Wednesday.

Two weeks earlier Clarkin's death, Health P.E.I. unit had a telephone with the East Coast Forensic Hospital successful Halifax to sermon Clarkin being transferred there, wherever the addictions attraction could beryllium provided arsenic good arsenic attraction for immoderate outstanding intelligence wellness issues.

The assemblage heard that Clarkin's transportation was denied due to the fact that helium hadn't been diagnosed with a psychotic disorder. 

The Health P.E.I. squad connected that telephone was advised to have Clarkin re-assessed oregon prosecute having the verdict of not criminally liable reversed.

The assemblage besides heard that Health P.E.I was exploring its ineligible options erstwhile it came to having Clarkin afloat discharged from Hillsborough Hospital. 

Testimony volition resume erstwhile the inquest resumes Thursday morning.

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize is struggling, here's wherever to get help:

• Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call oregon substance 988.
• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text 686868. Live chat counselling on the website.
• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour situation centre.
• This usher from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines however to speech astir termination with idiosyncratic you're disquieted about.