Remains of missing Winnipeg man, Reid Bricker, brings family closure
Portion of Bricker's remains were recovered in Red River near Selkirk in June
The partial remains of Reid Bricker — a Winnipeg man who went missing after he was discharged from hospital following a suicide attempt — have been found, his family told CBC News.
"Getting that information was a bit of a relief," Bonnie, said Friday. "Devastating to know that your child was so sick and so sad and suffering so much that that's the way they chose to end their life. That's always hard to accept, but really, it was a closure we were looking for."
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Reid, 33, disappeared in Oct. 24, 2015 following release from the Health Sciences Centre at 3:20 a.m. where he was under care for attempting suicide. It was the third time in 10 days he had been discharged from a Winnipeg hospital following suicide attempts.
I don't want Reid's death to be in vain. I want it to stand for hope.- Bonnie Bricker
According to the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA), a review of Reid's hospital contact found discharge procedures were followed, but his discharge has been criticized by family and mental health advocates as negligent and a failure of the health care system.
Confirmed death 'a game changer'
Since Reid's disappearance, his parents have been relentless in their push for changes to hospital discharge policies and privacy provisions to improve how health information is shared between medical staff and family members.
The province, in conjunction with the WRHA, responded by assembling a task force to look at potential changes to mental health services — an initiative still underway.
Bonnie said confirmation her son died following his release from hospital will likely be "a game changer" in accelerating some of the changes they've been fighting for.
"We knew that Reid had completed his life through suicide so now we have conclusive evidence and the way it was done, how quickly it was done," she said.
"It's quite apparent that the last human contact he had was at Health Sciences Centre and that they made a grave error by releasing him in the middle of the night to his own recognizance. It had devastating results and we have to absolutely stop that."
'In a perfect world'
Reid's parents would like to see more robust discharge protocols and follow up care for mental health patients.
Bricker said a new discharge protocol is currently being drafted and she is pushing for implementation as soon as possible.
She has also taken a director position with the Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba and is working on new programs to help families navigate the province's mental health services.
"I want to tell everybody who is suffering with mental illness ... there are people there that can help them," she said. "I don't want Reid's death to be in vain, I want it to stand for hope and help for people who suffered like him."
In a perfect world, Bonnie said she would like to see an emergency department dedicated to people who present with mental illness.
"With a specific team that's trained to look after those people, to know what they need, a 72-hour follow-up care, a step-down unit — a place they can go after emergency and peer support...that's my perfect world."
The Bricker family plans to hold a funeral and lay Reid to rest in a Winnipeg cemetery on Aug. 17.
"We're hoping to be able to have a little section between his great grandparents," Bonnie said. "Reid was named for his great grandfather."
Close friends of Reid's have also placed a wooden plaque bearing his name on a tree at Star Lake in memory of him and the canoe trips they used to take.
Bonnie called the tribute "exactly what Reid would have wanted." The artist and outdoors enthusiast once thought he struck gold on a camping trip near that spot on the lake.
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