Victim’s family seeks answers after prison deaths

With the grief, guilt and LONDON anger came some solace.

Surely, the fentanyl overdose death of their beloved Justin would change things.

Surely, the province of Ontario would do whatever it would take to prevent other drug deaths at the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC).

Surely, the Thompson family would get a timely inquest, as promised, that would spark more changes.

Just days after correctional officers warned through Postmedia News of ceramic weapons and drugs coming into the London provincial jail, Justin Thompson, 27, died of a fentanyl overdose on Oct. 31, 2016.

His death prompted a brief spurt of political outrage and a promise from the province to hurry up installing an X-ray body scanner at the embattled jail.

“Now there are three more deaths,” Justin’s stepmother Liz Thompson says.

“What can we do to change things? Why is it taking so long?”

In the past three months, three more inmates at EMDC have died — and all three are likely related to drugs, including the deadly opioid fentanyl.

The deaths have prompted the Thompson family to speak out publicly for the first time.

“It’s been a long time coming. Maybe we should have done more at the time,” Liz Thompson says. “We all want this to stop.” Her stepson grew up with a learning disability and emotional struggles after his parents divorced, Thompson says.

His troubles with addiction spanned many years, a couple of attempts at rehabilitation and some stays at EMDC for petty crimes.

But he also earned two years of apprenticing as a bricklayer and maintained the love and loyalty of family.

The loyalty moved from bailing him out for years, to finally deciding enough was enough.

“This is the hardest part. We would always bail him out of jail. We agreed this time, do not bail him out.

“He needs to dry out and get into rehab,” Thompson said.

“He would call repeatedly, daily and leave messages.

“We wouldn’t take his phone calls, because he would want us to bail him out.”

It’s not like Justin was going to be in for a long time. In fact, he was in jail on a technicality.

He had been charged with break-and-enter and, while on bail for that, failed to provide fingerprints to police.

Even though he was acquitted of the break-in charge, he still had to go to trial for the breach of bail.

He received a 21-day sentence for that breach and had 10 more days to serve when he died.

The coroner’s report into his death determined Justin died of fentanyl and cocaine toxicity, mostly fentanyl.

It’s believed inmates were passing drugs through the range by fishing, using string to move small packages from cell to cell.

Justin and his cell mate, who also overdosed but recovered, may have thought they were snorting cocaine.

This spring, more fentanyl arrived in London, in large quantities, sources say.

In June, Raymond George Major, 52, killed himself while in the throes of withdrawal, likely from fentanyl.

In July, Mike Fall, 47, died of what correctional officers suspect was an overdose, although his family notes he had heart problems, too.

In August, Murray Davis, 24, died of an overdose.

“This is getting worse,” Thompson said.

“There is nothing for them to do. They’re sitting in a locked-up cell.

“Do they ever see an addiction counsellor?

“Or do they just let them sit there and shake and shiver and say, ‘Oh well, they’re an addict.’ ”

The family stayed quiet after Justin’s death, thinking an inquest would come in due course and provide answers and attention.

That inquest was called for November, then postponed, Thompson said.

She has no idea when it will be held.

“Who knows what would have happened with these three deaths if there had been an inquest,” she says.

“There is something wrong with this system and nobody is stepping up to do anything.”