Inquest underway into deaths of three former Abbotsford Hospital patients
Posted September 7, 2016 11:15 am.
Last Updated September 7, 2016 11:18 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
ABBOTSFORD (NEWS 1130) – A coroner’s jury is set to work out how the deaths of three former mental health patients are not repeated.
An inquest has begun looking at 30 year-old Brian Geisheimer, 19-year-old Sebastien Abdi, and 41- year-old Sarah Charles, who were all cared for at Abbotsford Regional Hospital.
Barb McLintock with the BC Coroners Service explains they all died shortly after leaving the hospital between December 2014 and April 2015. “They left the hospital under various, slightly different ways of being discharged, getting passes, leaving against medical advice, et cetera. But, they unfortunately very shortly after leaving in each case, they did as well — it’s up to the jury to say, but they would appear to have committed suicide.”
Geisheimer died in December of 2014 after walking away from the facility. Abdi and Charles died on the same day four months later.
A coroners inquest doesn’t place blame, the jury will come up with recommendations. It’s expected to last the rest of this week and all of next week.
