Inquest called for Winnipeg overdose death

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This article was published 03/02/2022 (1369 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has called for an inquest into the death of a Manitoba man who had been seeking help for his addictions before being found dead from a drug overdose.

Lee Earnshaw, 42, was found unresponsive in a Winnipeg tent encampment June 14, 2021, soon after taking “gold down,” which was a mix of fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Emergency workers both at the scene and at hospital tried to resuscitate Earnshaw using opioid overdose medication Narcan but were unsuccessful.

An autopsy later determined the drugs were the cause of death and ruled it was accidental.

In a statement released Thursday, the CME office said Earnshaw had made repeated attempts in the months before his death to get help from the rapid access to addictions medicine (RAAM) clinics and the Main Street Project, but had been “turned away each time due to various technicalities.”

A date for the inquest will be determined by the chief provincial court judge at a later date.