Ottawa

Shannon Sargent, 34, found dead at Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre

A woman was found dead at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre early Wednesday morning, and Ottawa police are investigating.

Corrections officer found woman without vital signs early Wednesday morning, police say

Shannon Sargent died in custody at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre on July 20, 2016. A mandatory inquest is underway to determine her cause of death.
A woman was found without vital signs at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre early Wednesday morning. She was then pronounced dead. (Andrew Foote/CBC)

A woman was found dead at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre early Wednesday morning, and Ottawa police are investigating.

The woman — identified by a source as 34-year-old Shannon Sargent — was found by a corrections officer at about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, police said. The inmate had no vital signs and was pronounced dead.

Police won't say which part of the jail she was in. An investigation is underway, 

A mandatory inquest will be held if her death was the result of anything other than natural causes, according to the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Should her death be due to natural causes, the coroner will decide whether an inquest is necessary.

Three people have died at the Ottawa jail so far in 2016, the ministry said. There were no deaths at the jail in 2015.