Group home employee testifies he doesn’t recall checking the closet where Cree teen was found dead | 24CA News

WARNING: This story comprises distressing particulars. 

The group residence worker who reported Traevon Chalifoux-Desjarlais lacking testified that he searched the teenager’s bed room however could not recall if he ever regarded within the closet the place his physique was finally discovered.

“Obviously I did not check well enough because I didn’t find him,” mentioned Murray McMaster, talking on the Coroner’s Inquest into the loss of life of the Cree teen.

Traevon’s physique was discovered hanging within the closet on Sept. 18, 2020, 4 days after McMaster reported the 17-year-old lacking to the Ministry of Children and Family Development’s after-hours reporting line, and three days after McMaster filed a lacking individuals report with Abbotsford police. 

McMaster testified that when he got here on shift at round 8 a.m. on Sept. 14, he did not see Traevon and assumed he was nonetheless in mattress. Brett Claxton, the employee McMaster took over from, testified Traevon had made a grilled cheese sandwich at 10:30 p.m. the night time earlier than. 

McMaster mentioned when he went to get Traevon up at round midday on Sept 14, he noticed Traevon wasn’t in his mattress. At 10 p.m. that night time, after not with the ability to find Traevon, McMaster left a message on the MCFD reporting line. The following day at 2 p.m., he filed a lacking particular person’s report with Abbotsford police. 

McMaster testified he checked Traevon’s bed room on Sept. 15 and Sept. 16, however did not discover something. He mentioned he additionally despatched fellow group residence employee, Geoff Holley, to examine the room.

On Sept. 17, McMaster mentioned he began noticing a odor and puzzled if there was a lifeless animal within the holes Traevon had made in his bed room partitions. 

“That’s when I started searching other areas of the house, the boiler room … under the stairs,” he mentioned.

The courtroom heard that McMaster requested a dump run on the morning of Sept. 18 to dispose of things that is likely to be inflicting the odor. 

That similar morning, two Abbotsford Police officers got here to the group residence with out being known as there. McMaster knowledgeable the officers of the odor they usually went to the bed room and instantly discovered Traevon’s physique within the closet.

Employee declined to say teen was suicide threat

McMaster was requested why he declined to say Traevon was a suicide threat when he known as within the lacking particular person report. He responded that earlier makes an attempt to have Traevon apprehended below the psychological well being act had failed. 

“When I called APD when he did ideate suicide, they did not apprehend him so [I felt] it was not legitimate,” he mentioned. 

The courtroom heard about an incident on Aug. 28, 2020, when Chalifoux-Desjarlais talked about he may lower his wrists after he had destroyed his mattress and sheets with one thing sharp.

McMaster mentioned mentioned he known as police hoping they might take Traevon in below the Mental Health Act however was informed there wasn’t trigger to apprehend.

McMaster and Claxton each testified that Traevon had stopped taking his treatment within the lead-up to his loss of life. The courtroom additionally heard that Traevon had began banging on his bed room partitions, presumably together with his head, leading to holes within the partitions. 

According to proof given by Abbotsford Police Const. Daniel Beebe, McMaster reported to police that Traevon had final been seen at 1 p.m. on Sept. 14, contradicting what McMaster earlier informed the courtroom about not seeing Traevon in any respect that day. 

Teen was topic of earlier lacking particular person’s experiences

Beebe informed the inquest police often did not seek for lacking 17-year-olds in their very own houses “because they’re usually not there.” 

Beebe mentioned when he was handed Traevon’s lacking particular person’s file on Sept. 15, he checked the police info system and located Traevon had been the topic of 14 earlier lacking particular person’s experiences. 

Traevon’s group residence was run by Rees Family Services, an organization contracted by Indigenous little one welfare supplier Xyolhemeylh. Xyolhemeylh is a delegated company of the Ministry of Children and Family Development working within the Fraser Valley. 

The inquest is slated to listen to proof into subsequent week. 

Coroner’s Inquests don’t discover blame, fairly, they’re meant to serve the general public curiosity in figuring out the trigger and circumstances of a loss of life. The jury listening to the proof could make suggestions geared toward stopping related deaths sooner or later.

If you or somebody is struggling, here is the place to get assist:

If you are anxious somebody could also be prone to suicide, it is best to discuss to them about it, says the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. Here are some warning indicators: 

• Suicidal ideas.
• Substance abuse.
• Purposelessness.
• Anxiety.
• Feeling trapped.
• Hopelessness and helplessness.
• Withdrawal.
• Anger.
• Recklessness.