(CTV.ca News) – A woman’s death in an RCMP holding cell in southern Alberta Thursday is being investigated by the force’s Major Crimes Unit.
The woman, whose name and age have not been released, died about two hours after being placed in a cell attached to the RCMP detachment in Airdrie, about 20 kilometres north of Calgary.
Sgt. Mike Coady said the woman was arrested during a “familial dispute” in the nearby town of Crossfield early Thursday morning.
She was found unconscious by a civilian guard, who was trained to check on detainees in the holding cells every 15 to 20 minutes.
“Our guards are trained to view people on a random, although steady, basis and there was a guard in a cell block at that time,” Coady told CTV Calgary.
He said paramedics were called, but attempts to resuscitate her failed and she died in the cell.
It was too early to say if the death was a suicide, or caused by drugs or alcohol, or pre-existing health conditions, he said.
The detachment’s holding cells were empty Thursday evening, as the Major Crime Unit from Calgary were investigating them as a crime scene.
An autopsy to determine the cause of death will be performed in Calgary on Friday.
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