The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) is investigating what led to the death of a Winnipeg woman who was found frozen in December.
Windy Sinclair’s body was found in the 300-block of Furby Street on Dec. 28, days after her family had her admitted to hospital.
Sinclair, a 29-year-old mother of four, was hallucinating on Christmas Day, according to her mother Eleanor Sinclair.
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Her mother said she had been acting strangely during Christmas dinner and her daughter had struggled with a methamphetamine addiction. Paramedics, concerned about a possible overdose, brought her to Seven Oaks General Hospital. But she went missing from her room.
“She was seen in the Emergency Department and was in the process of receiving treatment. When staff returned to her treatment area to share results of some testing, Ms. Sinclair had taken her belongings and left the building,” Réal Cloutier, Interim President and CEO of the WRHA, said.
Staff began to search for her and tried to call the number on her file when they were unable to find her, but the calls went unanswered.
Her mother became worried when she didn’t hear from Windy, so she called the hospital and was informed that her daughter had been treated and discharged.
“I called all the hospitals, jails and I am trying to find where she hangs around and checked areas where I know she frequents but no results,” Eleanor posted on Facebook, prior to learning of her daughter’s death several days later.
“It is important to note that staff in hospital make every effort to provide quality care and service to any patient that comes to see them, but there may be factors that affect the ability of staff to provide quality care or service, such as if the care is interrupted or if an individual leaves the facility before their treatment has been completed,” Cloutier said.
The WRHA is set to meet with the Sinclair family on Thursday.