Inquest begins into 3 Abbotsford Hospital mental health suicides
B.C. Coroner says deaths are similar enough to warrant investigation
An inquest into the deaths of three people who committed suicide shortly after leaving the Abbotsford Regional Hospital psychiatric ward begins today.
The B.C. Coroners Service says although none of the patients knew each other, a joint inquest is warranted.
Inquest scheduled for 8 days into deaths of 3 people shortly after Abbotsford Hospital release between December 2014 and April 2015.
—@BellePuri"After they left the psychiatric ward — under a series of different circumstances and against medical advice — within a very short time of leaving each of them very, very sadly committed suicide," said B.C. Coroners Service spokeswoman Barb McLintock.
"Because it was the same hospital and a close period of time the chief coroner thought that pulling them all together into one inquest would allow a look at how the mental heath system works in terms of people who are in hospital for depression, metal illness or suicide [risk] and what recommendations might be made that might prevent this sort of thing from happening again."
Brian David Geisheimer, 30, died in Mission in December of 2014 after walking away from the hospital.
Four months later, 19-year-old Sebastien Pavit Abdi died at his family home in Abbotsford.
On the same day 41-year-old Sarah Louise Charles died in her Abbotsford apartment building.