ROCKWOOD – It’s been six months since Arthur resident Nathaniel Schofield died in police custody, but still little is known about what happened.
The 36-year-old father of six was pronounced dead on July 10 after spending a night at the OPP station in Rockwood.
Later that day, the province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) announced it was investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.
According to the website for the SIU, a civilian agency that investigates police misconduct, “Where possible … investigations must be completed within 120 days.”
But more than 180 days have passed since Schofield’s death, and the investigation is not yet complete.
Schofield’s mother Faye Dzikewich called the delay “sickening,” and said her grandchildren are “so torn apart.
“Everyone is super hurt … It’s all so confusing and shattering,” she told the Advertiser.
Without answers about how her son died, Dzikewich said it’s hard to move forward.
SIU spokesperson Monica Hudon said Schofield’s file is currently being reviewed by SIU director Joseph Martino.
“While we aim to complete our investigations within 120 days of commencing an investigation, it is not always possible,” Hudon stated in an email to the Advertiser.
“Because each case has its own requirements and procedures, and varying levels of complexities, it’s difficult to say how long any one investigation will take.
“In general, the length of an investigation will depend on a number of factors, including how long it takes to locate and interview witnesses, how long it takes to analyze evidence, and whether the unit must await receipt of reports from external experts and agencies.”
According to the July 10 SIU press release:
- Schofield was arrested at about 8:30pm on July 9 and detained at the OPP station in Teviotdale before being transferred to the Rockwood station that night;
- the next morning Schofield “was observed to be in medical distress.” First aid was administered, and he was transferred by ambulance to a Guelph hospital; and
- at 11:20am Schofield was pronounced dead.
In late July, the SIU designated a “subject official” – an officer whose conduct appears “to have been the cause of the incident” that led to Schofield’s death.
At that point, SIU officials said they were reviewing footage captured from inside OPP cells.
The SIU will determine whether there are grounds to charge an official in relation to the incident. If grounds are not found, a public report will be released.
Dzikewich has described her son as a hard-working and loving father with a big laugh and a zest for life.
His widow, Angelique Hunter, previously told the Advertiser, “There’s absolutely no reason why he shouldn’t have come home.
“He was not a trouble maker. He was perfectly healthy.”
And Hunter said their kids “deserve to know what happened to their dad.”
