Windsor

Family hopes inquest into daughter's death in Windsor jail will give 'some kind of answers'

Delilah Blair was declared dead in hospital following a transfer from the South West Detention Centre in Windsor.

Delilah Blair, 30, took her life inside the jail in May 2017

Delilah Blair, 30, took her own life while in custody at the South West Detention Centre in May 2017. Her family is asking how she was able to hurt herself in a building full of corrections staff. (Robert Blair/Facebook)

An inquest has been announced into the death of Delilah Blair, who was 30 when she died while in custody at the South West Detention Centre in Windsor, Ont.

Blair died on May 22, 2017. She was the first person to die in the jail since it opened in 2014. An inquest is mandatory under the Coroners Act.

Her family said they were informed by a coroner that Blair hanged herself in her cell using bed sheets.

Selina McIntyre, Blair's mother, tells CBC News that for the past couple of years, "time just seemed to stop" for the family.

"The family's pretty relieved to have some kind of closure, or be able to get some kind of answers after a long period of time," she said. "We just want this to end."

The inquest will look at the circumstances surrounding her death. A jury may make recommendations on how to prevent similar deaths in the future.

An exact date and location for the inquest have not been announced. McIntyre says she will attend.

Dr. Jennifer Tang will be the inquest coroner.

With files from Dan Taekema