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The list of in-custody deaths under formal review in Manitoba continues to grow.
This week, the province’s Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. John K. Younes, announced a new inquest into the death of Nathan Otke, a 36-year-old man who died in 2022 after being assaulted while incarcerated at Stony Mountain Institution.
Otke’s case marks the seventh in-custody death at the medium-security federal prison currently subject to a public inquest.
According to the medical examiner’s office, Otke was found unresponsive in his cell following an assault. He was transferred to Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, where he was diagnosed with a skull fracture and traumatic brain injury. He died on February 7, 2022.
An autopsy later confirmed that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, and the manner of death was classified as a homicide, indicating the death was caused by another person, regardless of criminal intent or legal responsibility.
Under Manitoba’s Fatality Inquiries Act, an inquest is required when someone dies in custody. The purpose is not to assign blame, but to examine the circumstances surrounding the death and consider whether changes in policy or practice could help prevent future deaths.
In a statement, the medical examiner's office explains these inquests are about understanding what happened and preventing similar tragedies in the future.
While the date and location of Otke’s inquest will be set by the Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of Manitoba, no schedule has yet been released.
Inquests like these are often one of the few tools available for public transparency when someone dies while imprisoned. Although they do not result in criminal charges, they offer families and communities a clearer picture of what occurred and whether more could have been done.
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