Alberta police watchdog to investigate after jailed woman lost baby

By The Canadian Press on May 31, 2024.

KITSCOTY, Alta. – Alberta’s police watchdog is investigating after a pregnant woman was given prescribed medication in cells then taken to hospital, where she lost her baby.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team says Kitscoty RCMP twice provided the woman with medication prescribed by the province’s Virtual Opioid Dependency Program.

Officers found the woman the next morning, on May 13, appearing to be having seizures.

It says an examination at the Lloydminster Hospital in Saskatchewan determined the woman was pregnant.

She had an emergency C-section, and the baby was delivered but died a few hours later.

The woman had been arrested four days earlier on outstanding warrants and was waiting for a court appearance.

The response team says it will examine the conduct of police, including the circumstances surrounding the woman’s arrest and her time in custody.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2024.

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