Jury deliberations begin at Guy Mitchell inquest

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Jury deliberations began today at the coroner’s inquest into the death of Guy Mitchell, the 38 year old special needs man who drowned in a water tank near his home in Ancaster.

The jury has been released for the night. Counsel says that they are only about half way through their deliberations.

For an inquest, their job is to examine the circumstances of Guy’s death and provide recommendations to prevent future deaths like this from occuring.

After a 12 day inquest into the death of Guy Mitchell, his mother Diane remembers the last time they spoke.

It was just 2 days before his death. Her son, who had the mental capacity of a 5 year old, lived in a group home on Jersyville Road in Ancaster for nearly 3 decades. Diane would see him weekly, but had no idea about the conditions that he was living under.

“I never went past the main floor, it was cluttered, but otherwise ok.”

The police video of the home where Guy lived shows the main floor, looking normal. Guy died on April 29th 2012 outside the home when he fell into a water tank on the property.

The cause of death is listed as hypothermia and drowning. It’s believed that he was told to retrieve water, that is because the house had no running water, or heat.

Upstairs was described as unlivable. Human waste overflowed from the toilets and bathtub. Soiled clothes and pillows were scattered throughout.

Over the inquest, it was revealed that multiple complaints had been made about the conditions of the house. A case worker from the agency “Choices” visited on the Friday before Guy’s death and didn’t leave the ground floor.

That same day, Children’s Aid decided to launch an investigation after seeing these images. Guy died the following Sunday and his mother didn’t know until it was too late.

The homes owner, Keri-Lynne Santor had taken control after her mother passed away a year earlier. Santor is not facing charges and her whereabouts are unknown.