One inmate is dead and another is in hospital after two cellmates were found in medical distress at the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre on Monday morning.
Middlesex London EMS was called to the EMDC around 7:15am after detention centre staff found two men without vital signs.
The two men were taken to hospital where one was pronounced dead. The other is listed in stable condition.
London police do not suspect foul play in the incident, noting there was no evidence of trauma to either man.
Police say they will continue to assist the Coroner investigating the cause of death.
The deceased inmate was a 27-year-old man. No name has been released.
Officials at the EMDC are referring all questions surrounding the incident to the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Ministry spokesperson Andrew Morrison says it would be inappropriate to comment given that the matter is under investigation.
"Should the Coroner’s death investigation determine that the death was anything other than natural causes, a mandatory inquest will be held," Morrison says in an email to BlackburnNews.com.
The jail has been thrust into the spotlight repeatedly over the past several years as it has dealt with overcrowding, inadequate staffing levels, and other inmate deaths.
Since 2009, there have been at least six deaths at the EMDC. Adam Kargus, 29, was found dead in the EMDC showers in November 2013. Kargus' cellmate was charged with second degree murder in relation to his death. In April 2009, Randy Drysdale was beaten unconscious in a common area and later died from his injuries. Keith Patterson, 30, committed suicide while in segregation in September 2014. Laura Straughan, 25, died from pneumonia in November 2009. Two others died in December 2014 and August 2015 after being found in medical distress.
The EMDC is among the first 11 provincial jails slated to be getting new body scanners within the next year. The scanners are able to detect ceramic weapons and drugs hidden inside body cavities.
