Man's death in Rockwood OPP detachment due to drug overdose, SIU clears officers

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 31, 2025 10:40 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 hours ago

The decease of 36-year-old Nathaniel Schofield astatine the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) detachment successful Rockwood in July 2024 was owed to a cause overdose and determination is nary crushed to complaint constabulary officers successful the case, the manager of the province's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) says.

In a study released Monday morning, SIU director Joseph Martino wrote that "there is nary ground for proceeding with transgression charges successful this case" arsenic helium believed the grounds showed the officers monitored Schofield portion helium was successful custody, checked connected him regularly and attempted to assistance him erstwhile helium collapsed.

"There are nary tenable grounds to judge that the [sergeant astatine the detachment] committed a transgression offence," Martino wrote.

The study said Schofield was arrested connected the evening of July 9, 2024 astatine his location successful Arthur aft a home disturbance. He was initially taken to Teviotdale wherever helium was held in a cell. 

"Asked astir immoderate depletion of drugs, the complainant [Schofield] indicated helium had taken fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine. It was decided that [Schofield] would beryllium transferred to the OPP Rockwood detachment arsenic determination was a captive determination already nether supervision," the SIU study says.

While astatine Rockwood, officers observed Schofield. He initially slept, but astir 4 a.m., helium "appeared sweaty, acold and pale."

"Asked if needed aesculapian assistance, the complainant answered successful the antagonistic and explained helium was experiencing withdrawal," the SIU study said.

He began to vomit astatine 7:20 a.m. Although helium told an serviceman helium was feeling better he inactive had the chills and acold sweats. He vomited again astatine 8 a.m. and was moved to a caller cell.

"He walked connected his ain powerfulness during the transfer," the SIU study said. An worker astatine the detachment continued to cheque connected Schofield regularly.

"When asked, helium told her helium was fine," the study said.

At 10:15 a.m., a "strange sound" was heard successful Schofield's compartment and idiosyncratic could beryllium heard "gasping for breath."

An worker called for an serviceman to assistance and erstwhile the officer entered the cell, Schofield fell from the seat onto the floor. 

"A defibrillator was retrieved but was not utilized connected the proposal of the paramedic telephone centre arsenic 1 of the officers believed helium had felt a pulse. Two doses of nasal Narcan were administered," the study says.

Paramedics arrived astatine 10:25 a.m. and it was recovered Schofield did not person immoderate captious signs and could not been resuscitated. He was taken to infirmary and pronounced dormant astatine 11:20 a.m. connected July 10, 2024.

The study says the autopsy concluded Schofield's death was attributable to "fluorofentanyl, fentanyl, methyl/isobutyryl-fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine toxicity."

Mother waited successful court

Schofield's decease made headlines due to the fact that his mother, Faye Dzikewich, waited successful a Guelph courtroom for respective hours for her son's quality connected July 10. 

"I called Rockwood 2 oregon 3 times the adjacent day," Dzikewich told CBC News successful July of that year. "They assured maine that helium would beryllium released connected his ain due to the fact that it wasn't thing serious. They made maine deliberation that they were relaying stuff."

At astir 4 p.m., Dzikewich was inactive sitting in court when a telephone came successful and was played implicit the speakers.

"They said that my lad was successful aesculapian distress and had conscionable been rushed to Guelph General Hospital," she said.

"The justice wished maine well, gave maine a motion and I ran retired of that courtroom."

In November, Dzikewich joined a rally successful Toronto extracurricular the bureau of Ontario's main coroner to call for coroner's inquests to beryllium held successful a much timely manner. She said families should not person to spell through long hold times not knowing what happened to their loved ones.

WATCH | Families telephone connected Ontario coroner to velocity up inquests: