Woman who died in custody 54 not 34, police say

Calgary Police Services say a woman who died while in RCMP custody in Tuktoyaktuk last week is 54 years old – not 34 as they previously reported.

The police service announced last week that it was investigating the death. It is standard practice for another police agency to investigate when someone dies while in custody.

While Calgary police initially reported that the late woman – who has not been publicly identified – was 34-years-old, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has now determined the woman was actually 20 years older. An autopsy was completed on Wednesday. 

“Due to the complex nature of in-custody death investigations, the conclusive results of the autopsy, including cause of death, will take time to determine due to the extensive testing required,” police stated in a Thursday press release. “The release of the woman’s name will depend on these results.”

According to police, the woman was taken into custody by Tuktoyaktuk RCMP around 10:30pm on Saturday for public intoxication. She died just after midnight on Sunday morning.

Calgary police say they are continuing to investigate the death and are working with RCMP and the community.