More than a year after daughter's death in Thunder Bay, Ont., family seeks answers from SIU, police

Jenna Ostberg's family has been waiting more than a year for Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) to release its report on the circumstances surrounding her death.

The 21-year-old member of Bearskin Lake First Nation died in Thunder Bay on Dec. 30, 2023. It took three calls to 911 before police responded to the residence on Ray Boulevard where she was found dead, according to the SIU.

"The case remains under the director's review," said Kristy Denette, a spokesperson for the SIU, in an email to CBC News on Thursday. "When there is a decision, a news release will be issued."

The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of police that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault or the discharge of a firearm at a person.

"We're tired," said Melanie Beardy, Jenna's mother. "Every Sunday night I would say, 'maybe this coming week is the week we hear from somebody, you know?' Then the next Sunday comes and I'll say it again."

The day Jenna died, the first call to police was made around 2 a.m. ET, but police did not respond. They received a second call to cancel the first call for service. The third 911 call received by police said the woman had died, according to the SIU.

The initial 911 call made "was not in relation to violence in the home involving the woman," the SIU has confirmed.

As for the Thunder Bay Police Service's own investigation, a spokesperson told CBC News that the force cannot speak to the case until the SIU's process is complete. 

"The Thunder Bay Police Service worked in close collaboration with the coroner's office on this investigation. Due to an ongoing Special Investigations Unit investigation, the Thunder Bay Police Service cannot comment further at this time," said spokesperson Matt Vis in an email Thursday.

Meanwhile, Ontario's inspector general of policing is evaluating how the Thunder Bay Police Service conducts death and missing-person investigations following several complaints made – including from Jenna's family – about how recent cases have been handled.

"The grief has been hard because we have had no closure," said Vincent Ostberg, Jenna's father. "The Thunder Bay Police and the SIU have not given us any closure at all."

SIU response times longest in the north

The SIU aims to complete its investigations within 120 days. According to its 2023-2024 report, it met this target in 89.3 per cent of cases.

The status of all SIU cases can be found on the unit's website.

It takes SIU investigators the longest to respond to incidents in northern Ontario, the latest annual report says, at an average of six hours and four minutes.

"Due to complexity or circumstances, many investigations require a significant amount of time to complete. The length of time might be impacted by factors such as how long it took to conduct interviews and/or gather and analyze evidence. In many instances, the unit must also await receipt of reports from outside organizations such as the Centre of Forensic Sciences or the Coroner's Office.

"While the SIU recognizes it is important to resolve cases in a timely manner, the thoroughness of the investigation must take precedence over the length of time it takes to finish an investigation," the SIU's website says.

In all, criminal charges were laid by the SIU director in a dozen cases between 2023-2024 against 13 officers – representing about 2.5 per cent of all cases investigated. 

Jenna's family says they cannot access the coroner's report on Jenna's death – including her autopsy – until the ongoing investigations are completed. 

Upcoming meeting with inspector general of policing

Beardy said Ontario's inspector general of policing, Ryan Teschner, is coming to Thunder Bay later this month to meet with them about the complaint they made about the Thunder Bay Police Service.

Another complaint came from the family of Corey Belesky, a member of Marten Falls First Nation who died in Thunder Bay on Nov. 1, 2022.

"We understand what each of these families are going through. They're not getting closure. They're living with trauma," Ostberg said. "I hope that the police inspectorate forces the SIU and the Thunder Bay police force to close their investigations."

Ostberg would also like to see the inspector's report emphasize the need for culturally-appropriate policing services in the city, he said.

"Institutional racism is something that needs to be identified and addressed," Ostberg said.

"There has to be a lot of training provided to the officers to understand things, like how it is for Indigenous peoples concerning the government and how finances and social conditions are — because they don't seem to understand it." 

The family is continuing to remember Jenna for her many skills — from her sharp vision to her creativity with painting and sketching, and being able to play music by ear.

"She had a determination to her character," Ostberg said. "She was talented."