Inmate's death in P.E.I. correctional centre doesn't appear suspicious, RCMP says

The death of an inmate this week while in custody at P.E.I.'s jail does not appear suspicious, said Cpl. Gavin Moore with the P.E.I. RCMP. 

The provincial Department of Justice and Public Safety confirmed to CBC Friday that an inmate died in provincial custody on Wednesday, Feb. 7.  

Moore said police received the report of a sudden death at the Provincial Correctional Centre in Winsloe early Wednesday morning. 

He said the RCMP's role is to work with the P.E.I. Coroner's Office to determine whether any criminal activity was associated with the inmate's death. 

RCMP investigate death of inmate at P.E.I.'s jail

12 months ago

Duration 2:07

An inmate has died while in custody at P.E.I.'s Provincial Correctional Centre. Cpl. Gavin Moore, P.E.I. RCMP media relations officer, explains the RCMP's role in the investigation.

"Any time there's a death outside the hospital setting, police are looking at the scene, they're looking for witnesses, they're looking for information concerning what was going on the last time the person was seen alive," he said. 

"In this particular case, based on the early indications there does not appear to be anything suspicious in nature."

Because the death occurred in the Provincial Correctional Centre, Moore said investigators will have plenty of information at their disposal, including witnesses and surveillance camera footage. 

Neither the RCMP nor the Department of Justice and Public Safety could provide any further details because the investigation is ongoing. 

This is the third death of a person in provincial custody in less than a year. 

In February 2023, an involuntary patient died at Prince County Hospital in Summerside. Then in August, the coroner's office said it was investigating a second death at a provincial facility. 

The chief coroner has called an inquest into the Prince County Hospital death, but no further details were available about the August incident.