The family of one of the inmates to die of a drug overdose death in the Barton jail say he didn’t deserve to die that way but that the inquest has given them some closure.
47-year old Peter McNelis spent 5 days in the Barton jail before he died of a drug overdose. He was arrested on March 7th 2016 for possession and trafficking drugs.
The inquest heard during the arrest, 4 packages containing white powder and a pill bottle with a white crystal substance were found in his car but some time during the arrest the four packages disappeared. An OPP officer telling the inquest they suspected McNelis ingested them. Saying a yellow pill bottle with several pills identified as hydromorphone was found in his underwear during a strip search at the police station as well as a package, similar to the 4 found in his car, that he picked up and tried to insert in his rectum.
The inquest heard the day he died other inmates told staff McNelis was acting strangely, walking around naked and defecating in inappropriate locations, that he was paranoid and twitching. When he was seen hitting his head against the cement wall and the floor, correctional officers put him on his stomach and handcuffed him. McNelis’ face turned purple and he became unresponsive.
The McNelis family told the inquest today that Peter had mental health issues, he was bipolar, describing him as a lost soul who came in and out of their lives. They say every day after the inquest they drive by and think about what happens inside, saying their son was in for 5 days and came out in a body bag. They don’t want this to happen to anyone else.
