B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating the second death in Burnaby RCMP custody in just over a week.
Burnaby RCMP was called to Skyline Drive at 7:50 p.m. Wednesday for a report of a disturbance, according to a BC RCMP news release Friday.
Officers arrested a woman and put her in the detachment cells without incident, the release said.
The woman was released the next morning but picked up again less than an hour later for causing a disturbance and assault at a location on Moscrop Street, according to police.
"The woman was lodged in cells where during a regular cell check, they were discovered to not be breathing. The woman received immediate medical attention but was pronounced deceased at the scene," stated the police news release.
The Independent Investigations Office is now investigating, and the RCMP said it would not be commenting further on the case.
The IIO said its first step will be to "seek to confirm what happened leading up to and during the incident and what role, if any, police actions or inaction may have played in the woman's death."
The IIO is already investigating the death of a man taken into police custody on Douglas Road last week.
In that case, Burnaby RCMP told the IIO officers and paramedics had responded to a call in the 2200 block of Douglas Road at about 12:17 a.m. on Feb. 28 for an unconscious man, according to an IIO news release last week.
The man regained consciousness, but police then arrested him on an unrelated matter, the release said.
Shortly after, the man again lost consciousness. Paramedics tried life-saving measures, but the man was later pronounced deceased, according to the release.
Anyone with information about either incident is asked to call the IIO witness line at 1-855-446-8477 or fill out the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on X/Twitter @CorNaylor
Email [email protected]
