It was an emotional first day of the coroner’s inquest of Haven Dubois, a 14-year-old boy who was found dead in a creek in 2015.
On Monday, Haven’s mother Richelle Dubois broke down in tears as she recalled memories of her son. She described his passion for art, his skills as a swimmer and his aspiration to be a police officer. But those dreams came crashing down.
On May 20, 2015, Dubois was found unresponsive in a creek located on the east end of Regina. According to a police release, resuscitation efforts were attempted by a bystander.
“Upon arrival, Emergency Medical Services personnel continued resuscitation efforts and transported Dubois to the Emergency Department of the Regina General Hospital where he was subsequently pronounced deceased at 13:29 hours,” the release read.
Dubois is seeking the truth about her son’s death. In a tearful testimony, Dubois recalled the morning of her son’s death. She told the inquest her son did not want to go to school but she insisted that he went. She regrets letting him go.
Later that day, Dubois received a call that Haven’s shoes, hat and sweater had been found and that he was missing. Later, the school revealed that no one had seen Haven.
Dubois recounted how she found her son’s body in a creek and pulled him out of the water, which was not far from their home.
Dubois emphasized that the pictures presented by the police did not match the crime scene and said the police did not take the case seriously and called it an accidental death, questioning why there was no thorough investigation into his death.
This week, the jury will hear from 13 witnesses to determine how, where and when Haven died. Recommendations to prevent similar incidents and to educate the public on avoiding preventable deaths will be made.
The public inquest, held at the Royal Hotel from May 27 to 31, is being presided by Coroner Brent Gough, K.C.
— with files from Victoria Idowu
Comments