No inquest into deaths of Lisa Gibson and her children

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/11/2013 (4701 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There will be no inquest into the tragic deaths of Lisa Gibson, 32, and her two children, the office of the chief medical examiner announced today.

In a statement put out by the province, Dr. A. Thambirajah Balachandra, the chief medical examiner, determined an inquest will not be called regarding the death of Gibson and her children.

The two young children, two-year-old Anna and three-month-old Nicholas, were found unresponsive in a bathtub at the Gibson home on July 24. Lisa Gibson, who had been suffering from postpartum depression, was believed to have been the last person in contact with the children and disappeared from the scene.

Her body was recovered from the Red River a few days later. Following the deaths of her children, she committed suicide.

On Oct. 3, Winnipeg police finally confirmed Lisa Gibson murdered her two children by drowning and then took her own life.

At the time police said “time-consuming crime lab results” and “in-depth investigating work surrounding forensics” delayed the release of the information about the case.

According to the chief medical examiner, the three deaths were preventable. Under section 20 of The Fatality Inquiries Act, if the chief medical examiner is of the opinion a death or deaths “might have been prevented if precautions had been taken or preventive measures had been in place, the chief medical examiner may make recommendations to the minister, to departments and agencies of government or to other persons as to possible precautions or preventive measures.”

The following recommendation was made to The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba on Tuesday: “That the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba investigate the diagnosis, treatment, and management of Lisa Gibson, and, take adequate action to educate the medical community to prevent similar tragedies in the future.”