The family of a GTA man who died in pre-trial custody at the Toronto South Detention Centre is speaking out in the hope of spurring change.
Through tears and heartache, Melissa Chatzimanolakis spoke to Global News about her brother Anthony. The 30-year-old was found unresponsive in his jail cell on March 25.
Melissa says he had been looking forward to the possibility of being able to reunite with his family following a bail review. Instead, his life was suddenly cut short.
“Everyone’s devastated. We’re all broken,” she said. “We didn’t believe it at first.”
It was only when they began planning his funeral that reality set in.
Anthony’s family says they’ve been told he died as a result of a suspected drug overdose. Beyond that, they tell Global News information has been difficult to come by.
Melissa visited her brother twice weekly, and says it brought her immense joy knowing that he could be home sooner rather than later. That hope was shattered when an officer visited her home and broke the news of Anthony’s death.
In an email to Global News, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General wrote that paramedics had been called to the facility on March 25. It went on to state that “staff found an inmate unresponsive and in medical distress in his cell.”
The statement added that correctional staff are trained to provide emergency medical care, which includes CPR and other life saving measures. However, the ministry said it could not provide further details as investigations are underway.
“We feel like it was something that could have been prevented,” Melissa said. “We’re broken, to say the least.”
In 2019, she says that Anthony was injured in a motorcycle collision and was to undergo surgery last November. However, the procedure was suddenly cancelled.
Anthony’s lawyer, Carmelo Truscello says his client was in pain behind bars, and his intestinal tract was bulging in places. He says a bail hearing had been set for April 14th.
“Canadian law recognizes that prison officials owe a duty of care to prison inmates,” he told Global News.
“When tragedies like this occur, I think it speaks to a larger systemic issue that’s rooted in poor staffing, among other things, that unfortunately dilutes the institution’s ability in some situations, to provide the level of care and to prevent some of these foreseeable harms.”
A report from the Chief Coroner’s Office earlier this year year found that urgent action is needed to address systemic issues at correctional facilities. It also found that among the deaths examined, nearly 40 per cent happened after inmates had ingested a toxic drug.
Global News has confirmed that Anthony’s death is being investigated by the Office of the Chief Coroner.
It would not provide further details, however it is mandatory in Ontario to hold an inquest if a death occurs while an individual is in custody or being detained, provided the death is not the result of natural causes.