Wife of P.E.I. man found dead at Province House says police, health system failed him

Warning: This story deals with serious mental health concerns and suicide.

The family of a man who took his own life at Province House, the historic seat of the P.E.I. Legislature, says police and health officials failed him. Now, they're looking for answers.

Laura Knockwood says she believes her 34-year-old husband, Tyler Knockwood, would still be alive today if officials had heeded her warnings. 

"I told them that he was going to die," Knockwood said from her Charlottetown home. 

"I didn't feel good about the situation, I didn't know where Tyler was, and I knew that he was alone and I knew that he wasn't well."  

Knockwood describes her husband as her best friend, the father of their two children, and a large man who commanded a room at 6 feet, four inches.

A member of Lennox Island First Nation, he had found a new passion working on the restoration of Province House. It was a building he felt so attached to that he donated an eagle feather to Parks Canada, which operates the building, to be used during a smudging ceremony. 

But Knockwood said her husband struggled with mental health and addictions from an early age. 

"He was really trying, you know, everything that he could do to grow himself as a better person. And he really tried, he fought hard," said Knockwood.

"For Tyler, there was a lot of stigma around being an Indigenous man with mental health issues."

Spiralled in January

Over the last three years, Knockwood said she noticed her husband becoming more reserved and withdrawn.

But that was just the beginning.

In mid-January, Knockwood said, her husband's extreme paranoia prompted him to leave their home, three days before he took his own life.

Hours later, she received a text that he had hurt himself. Tyler called 911 and was taken to hospital.

"He self-harmed, so he had cut himself, and that was the first time he had ever done that — ever," said Knockwood.

Despite the seriousness of the issue, Knockwood said she felt relief because finally, her husband had reached out for help.

But 24 hours later, her husband was released from the hospital without any support plan or follow-up care, she said — even though he told hospital staff he had withdrawn a large amount of cash from their account and intended to leave the city, something she said was completely out of character for him. 

"I'm not sure how those red flags of him having more than $5,000 cash in his pocket, and the fact that he was going to book a plane ticket to Montreal and go with no bag — he didn't have clothes, he just had what he was wearing and his wallet and this bundle of cash in his pocket — I'll never understand it." 

Tyler flew to Montreal and then immediately turned around and purchased a flight back to P.E.I. 

"He was running from his mental health and I don't know how, you know, we were the only ones seeing that." 

Knockwood said when her husband returned, he was dealing with "extreme paranoia" and hadn't slept for days.  

"We ended up making the 911 call because I was scared — for him, mainly, but also because he was not acting like himself," she said.  

"I had to take my children into consideration. I've never been afraid of my husband but I was nervous of what this paranoia could possibly bring about."

Police came three times

Over the next 24 hours, she said, Charlottetown Police Services were called to the house on three separate occasions. 

But they never took him back to hospital, which Knockwood believes might have saved his life.

Her sister, Michelle MacArthur, agrees. She said she pleaded with police to take Tyler to hospital.

"We kept asking: 'Is he going to go to the hospital?' and they said: 'No, he doesn't meet the criteria, so we can't make him.' I was like: 'He needs to see a doctor.'"    

After the police department's third visit, officers dropped Tyler off in downtown Charlottetown. 

Early the next morning, police returned this time to tell Knockwood her husband had ended his life inside the place he loved so much, Province House. 

They let our whole family down. They let his kids down. They let his mom down. They let his wife down. His nieces and nephews.— Michelle MacArthur

"It just broke me," said Knockwood, who was already dealing with the loss of her mother in October.

"There's a piece of me that will never have peace because I know that my husband would be alive today if he had just been transported to the hospital. I know he would." 

MacArthur said the system didn't fail Tyler alone.

"They let our whole family down. They let his kids down. They let his mom down. They let his wife down. His nieces and nephews." 

Agencies react to questions

Knockwood has filed a complaint with Charlottetown Police Services over how the situation was handled.

In an email to CBC News, Charlottetown Police Chief Brad MacConnell confirmed a complaint had been received but did not answer any specific questions about how police handled the calls to the Knockwood home.

Parks Canada, which operates Province House, confirmed there was "a tragic situation where an individual lost their life at Province House last month."

In a statement, the federal agency said: "We wish to extend our deepest and most sincere condolences to family, friends and the community. Grief counsellors and additional supports have been made available to the workers at the site."

Out of respect for Tyler Kockwood's family and community, Parks Canada said it would not comment further on the matter.

Health P.E.I. sent CBC News an email saying it does not comment on the cases of specific patients but "sympathizes with the family for their loss as they go through this incredibly difficult time."

In general, the agency's statement said, individuals who have contact with mental health services are provided with a referral plan for follow-up on their case. 

"Individuals are able to accept or decline these services," it wrote. 

Call for sensitivity training

Knockwood said police and health officials need more sensitivity training, especially when dealing with Indigenous people and intergenerational trauma.  

"Tyler never wanted to become a statistic — especially when it comes to Aboriginal youth losing their lives," she said.

If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to get help:

• Talk Suicide Canada: 1-833-456-4566 (phone) | 45645 (text)

• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (phone), live chat counselling on the website.

• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.

• This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about.