Acute cocaine toxicity the cause of 2025 Melfort RCMP in-custody death: SIRT

An RCMP detachment can be seen in this file photo. (David Prisciak/CTV News)

Saskatchewan’s police watchdog has cleared officers in relation to an incident in 2025 where a man died while in the custody of Melfort RCMP.

According to a report from the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) published Monday, the 44-year-old died due to an “acute cocaine toxicity, with severe coronary artery atherosclerosis as a contributing cause.”

The report said there was no reasonable basis to suggest that any use of force by police caused or played a role in his death.

SIRT added that a “substantial volume” of video evidence documents the absence of any meaningful abuse.

SIRT interviewed 11 civilian witnesses, including guard staff, Melfort Hospital medical staff and two members of the man’s family in addition to six members of RCMP.

“The evidence gathered during this investigation, including the video footage, guard logs, and witness interviews confirms that the affected person was reasonably monitored during his time in custody by both civilian guard staff and RCMP members, with checks performed at regular and reasonable intervals,” the report read.

The timeline

The incident stems from May 6, 2025 when Melfort RCMP responded to a disturbance call at around 9:48 a.m. in Melfort.

When officers arrived at the residence in question, they found a man with an injured hand who was acting erratically, according to the report.

SIRT wrote that the man told officers that he had consumed cocaine and was noted to have been sweating and breathing rapidly. An officer described his behaviour as “manic”.

The man was subsequently taken into custody under the Mental Health Services Act and placed in a cell at the RCMP’s Melfort detachment at around 10:14 a.m., pending arrival of EMS.

The man – who is referred to as “the affected person” in the report – was then taken to the hospital minutes later, arriving just before 10:30 a.m.

While being examined at the hospital, SIRT says another “disturbance” occurred, with the man continuing his erratic behaviour and refusing to allow the nurse to assess him.

The affected person was taken back to the Melfort detachment in handcuffs and placed in cell around 10:44 a.m.

He remained there until 5:09 p.m. when an officer noted that the man had become unresponsive.

SIRT says about 11 minutes passed between the time of his last observable movements in the cell and the time he was discovered.

At that point, RCMP provided first aid and contacted EMS. EMS treated the man in the hallway at approximately 5:16 p.m. and assumed responsibility for his care.

Twenty minutes later, he was taken to hospital where he was eventually pronounced dead despite resuscitation efforts, according to SIRT.

RCMP notified SIRT of the man’s death May 6, 2025 at approximately 7:13 p.m.