The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is reporting its concerns about record‑keeping, communication, and the treatment of vulnerable detainees at Lloydminster cells.
The findings are in a report as ASIRT investigated the death of a newborn following the mother’s detention at the Lloydminster RCMP detachment in May 2024. The investigation found no reasonable grounds to believe officers committed a criminal offence, though it highlighted serious communication failures within the detachment.
Background
The case began on May 9, 2024, when a woman—referred to by ASIRT as the affected person (AP)—was arrested on outstanding warrants and for providing a false name to police. She told officers she was pregnant, but that information was never properly documented as she was transferred between the Kitscoty and Lloydminster RCMP detachments.
Over the next several days, the woman repeatedly told guards and officers she was pregnant, though at other times she denied it—something ASIRT notes may have been affected by drug withdrawal symptoms. Guards and officers also stated they did not believe she appeared pregnant.
What happened in custody
During her time in the Lloydminster cells the woman complained of stomach pain several times.
Officers made arrangements for her to receive medication for withdrawal through the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program, but her prescription wasn’t picked up until May 12—two days after it was issued.
Multiple staff members knew she might be pregnant, but that information was never added to her prisoner report, guard logbooks, or shift notes.
Staff continued to rely on the woman to confirm whether she was pregnant, even though she alternated between acknowledging and denying it.
Late on May 12, the woman told guards “It’s my baby” while complaining of stomach pain but denied being in labour. About an hour later, she suffered a seizure.
Paramedics were called, and the woman was taken to hospital. She delivered her baby by emergency caesarean section. The newborn died about three hours later from cardio‑respiratory arrest. The Saskatchewan Coroner concluded the death was natural, with contributing factors including pregnancy-induced hypertension, drug use, and restricted fetal growth.
ASIRT’s findings
ASIRT reviewed cellblock video, interviews with officers, guards, civilians, and the woman. Also, medical records, RCMP policies, and logs.
The investigation found no criminal wrongdoing.
ASIRT concluded that officers did not use excessive force, nor did their actions meet the criminal threshold for failing to provide the necessities of life or criminal negligence.
Systemic failures
The investigation uncovered:
- Inconsistent and ineffective communication between officers and guards
- Failure to document critical medical information, including the woman’s possible pregnancy
- Delays in ensuring medical care, particularly with her withdrawal medication
- Overreliance on the woman’s own statements, even when she was in withdrawal and inconsistent in her responses
ASIRT noted that several staff appeared to dismiss the woman’s statements and symptoms—sometimes believing her, sometimes not—based on subjective assumptions.
The report states:
“Each of the officers and guards who acknowledged having been made aware of the possible pregnancy demonstrated indifference towards the AP’s well-being and a disregard for ensuring that their colleagues on later shifts were equipped with the most up-to-date information about the prisoners under their care so that they could fulfill their duties effectively. It is not the inaction on the part of any one officer or guard that constituted a departure from the standard of care but the cumulative effect of ineffective communication and information sharing within the detachment across several days where the AP’s medication needs went unmet and her symptoms did not improve.”
One example cited a prior prisoner report from January 2024 stating the woman “may be pregnant,” yet no one thought to verify this during her May detention.
Would earlier medical care have changed the outcome?
ASIRT says there is no evidence that earlier medical treatment would have prevented the baby’s death.
Death of the woman
About a month after the incident, on June 20, 2024, the woman died at home. The medical examiner found her death unrelated to her time in RCMP custody.
Conclusion
Acting ASIRT Executive Director Matthew Block concluded that while the baby’s death was “untimely and tragic,” no officer committed a criminal offence. The report, however, points to larger concerns about record‑keeping, communication, and the treatment of vulnerable detainees.
