BC Coroners Service announces inquest for 2019 death in Dawson Creek

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The BC Coroners Service has announced an inquest into the death of a 23-year-old woman in Dawson Creek RCMP custody five years ago.

Jamie Hope’s passing was reported to the BC Coroners Service on April 14th, 2019. 

Inquests are mandatory for all deaths that occur while the person was detained, in police custody, or if the public has an interest in being further informed about the death, according to the Coroners Act.

In a report filed on April 14th, 2019, to the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO), an unnamed female was arrested on April 13th and taken into police custody in Dawson Creek.

The same day, paramedics were called by officers due to rapid health changes. 

The woman was transported to hospital and passed away on April 14th, prompting an investigation by the IIO. 

On December 16th, 2019, the IIO concluded there was no evidence of wrongdoing by the officers involved, and the woman’s death was ruled to have been related to prior drug consumption. 

Due to the lack of naming within the 2019 report, Energeticcity cannot confirm the woman is Hope, but the report was filed on the same day Hope’s death was reported to the BC Coroners Service. 

The inquest will begin on June 17th, 2024, at the Dawson Creek Law Courts, where a jury and presiding coroner will hear evidence from witnesses under oath to better understand the facts of Hope’s death.

No legal responsibility will be made, but the jury will be allowed to make recommendations for preventing deaths of similar circumstances in future encounters with law enforcement.