Inquest called in death of Indigenous woman who fell down Regina laundry chute

Saskatchewan's chief coroner has called for a review of the circumstances surrounding the death of an indigenous woman, Nadine Machiskinic, at a Regina hotel last year. 

Machiskinic, a 29-year-old mother of four, fell to her death down a laundry chute at the Delta Hotel in January 2015. 

Chief Coroner Kent Stewart announced today that an inquest will be held in order to ensure public confidence in the Coroners Service.

• Inquest needed into death of Nadine Machiskinic​ 
• Missing & Murdered: The Unsolved Cases of Indigenous Women and Girls

This move comes after CBC published a story this morning quoting a prominent forensic pathologist, Dr. John Butt, who said the many outstanding questions in this case demanded an inquest.

Before publishing that story, CBC contacted the coroner to notify him about Butt's concerns and his call for an inquest. In a written statement, Stewart responded by noting that his report had been made public. He added that "should additional evidence be discovered, the Office of the Chief Coroner could consider reopening the investigation."

Saskatchewan's Minister of Justice Gordon Wyant said while the decision to call an inquest is ultimately up to the coroner, he urged him to consider this step. 

"I'm concerned that the confidence in the coroner's office, the confidence in the administration of justice, has been put into question," said Wyant, during a media scrum at the Saskatchewan legislature. "And that's precisely why I think an inquest is important so that we can get to the bottom of the facts." 

Machiskinic's death is one of 34 cases CBC News investigated where authorities deemed there was "no foul play" and found instances of suspicious circumstances and unexplained injuries. The project is a part of CBC's ongoing coverage on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

• Unresolved: Case Closed or Murder? CBC finds questionable circumstances in some Sask. cases

Her death was one of seven cases CBC investigated in Saskatchewan. 

Coroner's report published in May

Stewart issued his report into Machiskinic's death in May and concluded the "manner of death is accidental."

He said one of the main reasons for his finding was that police found no evidence of foul play.

However, certain details surrounding the death and subsequent investigation have come into question. 

• The coroner's office didn't call police to investigate until 60 hours after Machiskinic's death. 
• The Regina Police Service received samples for toxicological analysis but failed to send them for testing for six months. 
• Regina police didn't attempt to interview two men who got on an elevator with Machiskinic until one year after she died. They never did locate those men.
• An initial autopsy report concluded that Machiskinic was too intoxicated to have gotten into the laundry chute on her own. A subsequent report cast doubt on that analysis. 

Wyant said these issues, which he's learned about through media reports, have caused him concern.

• Pathologist found that Nadine Machiskinic likely didn't go down laundry chute 'on her own'

"There was a number of issues that have been raised by the media with respect to the coroner's report and some of the things that went into his report," Wyant said. "So I think those are the things we need to look at."

We certainly want to get all the answers because they all impinge on confidence the administration of justice.- Gordon Wyant, Saskatchewan's justice minister

Wyant said the inquest will be conducted independent of the coroner's office. He said he hopes the scope will broad. 

"We certainly want to get all the answers because they all impinge on confidence the administration of justice, They all do whether it's the police investigation, whether it's the work that's been done by the coroner's office." 

He said it's too early to know when the inquest will be conducted. 

• Coroner finds woman's death at Delta Hotel in Regina was accidental

• Mystery remains in laundry chute death but police say case closed

Coroner's office to be reviewed

Wyant said while he continues to have confidence in Saskatchewan's coroner, he will also be asking his officials to review how the Office of the Coroner is operating too. 

He said the last time government reviewed that office was 2004. 

"We are going to be doing a review of his office. We'll be having discussions with officials in [the Ministry of] Justice in the next short period of time," said Wyant.

The coroner's office was criticized by Butt after he reviewed the case for CBC's iTeam. 

"This is just a system that … needs revision, in my opinion," Butt said.