Hamilton woman still wants accountability after inquest into brother's 2017 death in jail

Justin Chandler · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 07, 2025 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

The sister of a 34-year-old antheral who died successful the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre astir 8 years agone says the squad who conducted the inquest was "fabulous," but she's frustrated she wasn't capable to clasp anyone accountable done the process.

Amy McKechnie, whose brother, Ryan McKechnie, died connected June 29, 2017, said it was besides a "kick successful the face" that it took astir 8 years to clasp the coroner's probe. 

Ryan accidentally died of combined fentanyl, methamphetamine and amphetamine intoxication, the inquest assemblage recovered successful February. But coroner's inquests aren't tasked with assigning blasted oregon marque findings of guilt oregon innocence, thing Amy recovered frustrating since she believes the jailhouse could person taken steps to forestall his death.

"We're going to forestall aboriginal deaths hopefully, but what astir my loved one?" Amy said successful an interrogation with CBC Hamilton.

Amy believes jailhouse unit erred successful putting Ryan successful a compartment with different inmate aft guards recovered contraband successful the cell they were sharing. She said a assemblage scan of the different inmate showed anomalies, suggesting helium had ingested packages of drugs. The adjacent morning, Ryan didn't aftermath up for meal and his cellmate called for help.

Amy said radical who worked arsenic corrections unit astatine the clip testified astatine the inquest. She said 1 witnesser told the jury he would person done things otherwise looking back. None of the different workers said they'd alteration their actions, she said, adding she recovered that "disgusting."

Since Ryan was incarcerated, an inquest into his decease was mandatory nether Ontario's Coroners Act. During specified procedures, lawyers for the coroner's and parties, including household members of the deceased, inquire questions of witnesses — they tin see eyewitnesses, experts, and organization workers and officials. 

Inquest juries whitethorn marque recommendations aimed astatine preventing future, akin deaths. The assemblage successful Ryan's inquest issued 18, astir of them focused connected the Ministry of the Solicitor General, which oversees corrections. They include:

• Updating unit grooming concerning however to construe assemblage scans for contraband with the knowing that a antagonistic scan is not a warrant idiosyncratic is escaped of contraband.
• Considering an audit of the efficacy of detecting contraband done existent scan protocols.
• Funding trauma-informed supports for families pursuing the decease of a loved 1 successful custody.
• Clarifying unit should place signs of beingness erstwhile they routinely cheque connected inmates.

In December, a weeks-long inquest for six men who died astatine the Hamilton jailhouse betwixt 2017 and 2021 led to 55 recommendations. They included processing a program to connection a harmless cause proviso wrong the institution, ensuring inmates won't beryllium penalized for reporting overdoses and improving entree to attraction for substance usage disorder. 

Ryan's decease was primitively going to beryllium included successful that inquest, Amy said, but it was held virtually and she pushed for an in-person proceeding, feeling it would beryllium much "humane." On her request, Ryan's inquest was successful person. The coroner's bureau held it successful Toronto.

Amy said she followed the autumn inquest and she attended one successful 2018 that examined 8 deaths astatine the detention centre betwixt 2012 and 2016. It resulted successful 65 recommendations, but adjacent to fractional of them haven't been enactment into force, the autumn inquest heard. Recommendations by inquest juries are non-binding — different happening Amy said she wishes would change.

For Amy, 1 of the cardinal recommendations successful Ryan's inquest is that the ministry money enactment for families of inmates who die. She said she received little, if any, enactment aft she learned done a person that Ryan had died and then went to the jailhouse to corroborate it. 

In a brutal coincidence, she said, her dada died the aforesaid day.

"I don't deliberation I ever grieved for them. I conscionable kept connected going."

In summation to enactment backmost then, Amy said, she would person appreciated fiscal assistance passim the inquest.

She said she represented herself alternatively of hiring a lawyer due to the fact that she couldn't spend one and had to wage for her ain accommodations to enactment successful Toronto. 

On its website, the Office of the Chief Coroner says it offers 2 programs that tin assistance families screen ineligible fees.

The bureau besides works with constabulary to supply enactment for families astatine the clip of death, explicate the probe process and hole them for an inquest, Stephanie Rea, a spokesperson for the coroner's office, said successful an email.

Rea said the bureau besides has a liaison to enactment with families and link them to different enactment systems. 

"The inquest process tin beryllium a precise challenging clip for families, truthful we besides licence them to trust upon the assistance of their familial oregon assemblage supports during the proceeding itself to the top grade possible, portion inactive maintaining the indispensable integrity of the inquest process." 

Amy said she besides hopes the ministry and the Hamilton jailhouse instrumentality the recommendations astir assemblage scanners and checks. She said a much cautious scan could person prevented her member from getting drugs, and guards checking for signs of beingness astatine nighttime whitethorn person learned Ryan needed assistance earlier it was excessively late. 

Call for amended education, reintegration assistance for inmates

Going forward, Amy said, she besides wants the ministry to instrumentality amended acquisition and assistance for inmates truthful they tin amended reintegrate into nine aft their release.

"You can't conscionable fastener idiosyncratic into a cage, springiness them thing and expect it to work," she said. 

Ryan wasn't conscionable the antagonistic stuff, she said, adding helium was an "amazing" brother, "funny beyond funny" and "didn't merit what helium got."

Amy said she's besides exploring different options to question accountability for Ryan and different inmates whose household members died successful the jail. 

"I garbage to fto my brother's decease beryllium successful vain."