'Perfunctory at best and negligent at worst': Judge slams police investigation into Transit Hotel death
An external review will examine the police work that followed the 2017 death of a woman at the Transit Hotel after a judge who reviewed the case found the investigation fell short.
Provincial court Judge Renee Cochard oversaw a fatality inquiry into the death of Rhonda Auger, who died of blunt force injuries after falling from the third storey of the Fort Road hotel on April 28, 2017. The manner of her death was never determined.
But after hearing evidence at a public inquiry earlier this year, Cochard found that the police work that followed the 49-year-old's death was inadequate and that a number of lines of inquiry weren't pursued.
In her report published Wednesday, Cochard listed a number of issues that should have been investigated by the Edmonton Police Service (EPS), such as tracking down a man Auger was spotted with before her death, finding out how she got up to the hotel's residents-only third floor, and determining why her blood alcohol levels were so elevated at the time of her death when she had been observed drinking less than two beers.
"Had it not been for the persistence of the family, Rhonda Auger's death investigation would have been completed in one hour. Quite clearly, assumptions were made by the investigating constable as to the cause of her death and he chose to look no further," she said.
Const. Joel Rashotte was the officer who initially determined that the circumstances of Auger's death were not suspicious. Pat Bruni, a detective, was assigned six days later to look at the case and spent a few months on it before retiring, leaving the case open.
"In conclusion, the police investigation was perfunctory at best and negligent at worst. It left many unanswered questions for the family, which even if the investigation had been thorough may still not be answered, but at least there would have been some closure for the family," Cochard wrote. "Ms. Auger deserved more from EPS."
In a news release Wednesday, EPS spokesperson Cheryl Sheppard said that the police service received a copy of Cochard's report on July 15. After reviewing it, Chief Dale McFee decided to initiate an external review to analyze whether the police response and investigation into Auger's death were reasonable.
The review will be conducted by Edmonton lawyer Richard Mirasty.
"While the timeline for completion is not known, the EPS is committed to working with Mr. Mirasty to ensure he has all the information he requires to conduct a fulsome review of the organization's response to this fatality," Sheppard said in an email.
In a written statement, acting Chief Al Murphy said the police service is dedicated to improving "wherever possible," saying the force owes that to the community.
In its own statement, the Edmonton Police Commission agreed the findings in Cochard's report are serious enough to warrant external review, and added that Mirasty's findings will be made public subject to privacy considerations.
"Rhonda Auger has been remembered by her family as an outgoing and kind person who loved children, especially her grandchildren. Her untimely death was truly a tragedy," chair Micki Ruth said in a written statement.
During the January fatality inquiry, court heard from Auger's family members who said she had been visiting relatives in Edmonton at the time of her death. They described her as a loving and caring person who was making plans for her grandson's birthday party on the day she fell to her death.
Her family hoped the investigation would be reactivated, saying it didn't add up that she would climb out onto a roof and fall. They said Auger didn't normally drink much, there was no indication she wanted to harm herself, and she was afraid of heights.
A judge overseeing a fatality inquiry is not able to assign fault but is able to make recommendations to prevent similar deaths from happening in the future. Cochard's only recommendation was that windows less than one metre from the floor in public areas should be made unopenable in properties such as the Transit Hotel.
The hotel, which closed months later, fell under the purview of the Safe Housing Committee, a body that grants buildings providing affordable housing to vulnerable populations some leeway in not keeping up with building codes.
Fundraising efforts to allow for the renovation and reopening of the Transit Hotel are currently underway.
