N.L. police watchdog concerned after person found dead following delayed health check
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ST. JOHN’S – Newfoundland and Labrador’s police watchdog is questioning the conduct of RCMP officers who failed to promptly check up on someone with known mental health issues who was later found dead.
In a report published earlier this month, watchdog director Stephen Ring says a witness said she called RCMP in Gander, N.L., twice on Jan. 14 requesting a wellness check for her friend, referred to in the report as AP.
Ring says officers phoned AP and got no answer, but they did not go to the person’s home.
The report says the friend phoned police again on Jan. 15, and officers went to AP’s residence and found them dead, though the document does not disclose the cause of death.
Ring says the chief medical examiner’s office determined the person died 48 to 72 hours before they were found, and that the missed wellness check did not contribute to their death.
However, Ring says the force’s failure to conduct a wellness check on a person with known mental health issues “raises concerns about police conduct.”
His report says officers took AP to the hospital after a suicide attempt on Jan. 12 and AP had an extensive history with police relating to mental health issues.
A spokesperson for the RCMP said the force conducted an internal review to determine what happened. The spokesperson did not provide further details about the review’s findings.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2025.