Donna Price is seen in an undated handout photo. Price says she was woken up by police early Tuesday morning who said her 29-year-old son had been found dead. Hours later, he was discovered alive and well at home. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Donna Price, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
DIEPPE, N.B. – A mother in New Brunswick says she woke up Tuesday morning to news from the RCMP that her son had died, only to find out hours later that police had made a mistake.
Donna Price said in an interview that police came to her house in the early morning hours to say her 29-year-old son had been found dead in Moncton, N.B.
She says she made heart-wrenching calls to his father and his siblings, and then to her elderly parents, to break the devastating news.
But Price says later that afternoon, someone went to collect her son’s personal effects and found him at home safe and alive.
Price says her son has grappled with homelessness and mental health issues, and she believes a disregard among police for people experiencing these issues contributed to the RCMP’s error.
She says she intends to file a lawsuit against the force in an effort to ensure that police follow proper protocols to identify deceased people and notify their families, no matter what their life circumstances may be.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2022.
