N.B. RCMP misidentify body, loved ones alert coroner before cremation
A Moncton family is breathing a sigh of relief after police misidentified a body found, but questions remain about how law enforcement made the serious mix-up.
The nightmare began early Tuesday morning when Dieppe, N.B., resident Donna Price was awakened by a knock at the door. Police officers from the Codiac Regional RCMP informed her investigators discovered a body that evening who was identified as her son. The officers characterized the death as a possible overdose.
The body of the man, who had no fixed address, was found inside a public washroom steps from Moncton City Hall just after midnight Tuesday.
“In that moment, my life was just -- it’s the worst news a parent can hear,” Price told CTV News. “It was just a blur after that.”
Shocked and devastated, the Price and her family began the daunting task of making funeral arrangements for her son and notified her child’s grandparents of the tragic discovery.
Later that morning, the coroner called asking whether they’d like him to be buried or cremated.
But a lawyer retained by the family says when a third party was sent to the son’s home to collect belongings and paperwork required by the coroner’s office, the individual was shocked to see the “deceased” son answer the door.
“I asked probably ten times, and they said, “Donna, he’s alive and well. I don’t know what to tell you,’” she said.
Price says the next few moments were a blur, but she remembers screaming and jumping.
“It felt like I was in a movie, or a bad joke,” she said.
According to the family’s lawyer, Brian Murphy, they immediately contacted the RCMP, who he says “responded by unapologetically challenging the news that their son was, in fact, alive.”
Rather than believing the parents about the mix-up, Murphy said the RCMP put the onus on the supposed victim’s family to let the coroner’s office know before the misidentified human remains were cremated.
“It was almost like we had to prove to [RCMP] that he was still alive,” she said.
“The RCMP instructed the Prices to contact the coroner’s office as it was no longer the RCMP’s problem,” Murphy said in a news release Friday.
Murphy noted the official at the coroner’s office was “very apologetic and helpful” but indicated to the family they could only rely on information received from law enforcement.
Shortly after the coroner’s office was notified of the mix-up, two RCMP officers visited the family at their home to explain what happened.
According to Murphy, investigators explained that a photo of the deceased was broadcast to all active RCMP members. A member responded to identify the victim, who was known to police.
Murphy said his clients have been traumatized by the misidentification, with some of the family seeking counselling and medical advice.
“The whole experience was traumatic,” Price said. “The grief and shock, having to tell loved ones of the loss… and to combine it with the arrogance and lack of empathy from the RCMP, it was just too much.”
The family has a background in corrections and law enforcement, and said compassion is key.
“We feel sorry for that person’s loved ones,” Price added. “The time wasted on identifying our son as the deceased should have been concentrated on identifying the actual deceased.”
“This is an egregious case of police negligence causing mental anguish, but worse a case of indifference to those of a lower economic earnings bracket,” Murphy said in the release. “If this had been a prominent, well-dressed individual in the same spot, we all know there would have been more scrutiny.”
Murphy says the family, who has chosen not to release their son’s name to the public, is set to pursue legal action.
“The total lack of remorse or an apology and the high-handed arrogant assumptions made about our son and the actual deceased person are so offensive,” said stepfather David Price.
New Brunswick RCMP Cpl. Hans Ouellette confirmed in an email to CTV News that investigators are in communication with family members about the situation.
“This is not a criminal matter, but may soon be part of a legal process,” Ouellette said. “Any evidence pertinent to this matter could be presented as part of a judicial or internal process.”
“The RCMP respects fair and impartial proceedings as part of the legal system. As such, it would be inappropriate to comment on evidence or other aspects that may be part of judicial or internal proceedings.”
In the meantime, Price is relieved her son is safe and sound, but she still finds herself grieving for the true victim.
“I feel extremely saddened by the person who has deceased and their family. They were robbed of 13 hours -- that was their time, not my family’s time to grieve.”
Price’s message for the RCMP is simple: “There are protocols in place. Please follow them.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Parliamentary report on Emergencies Act decision is 18 months past due — and counting
The erstwhile group of senators and MPs studying the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act over the "Freedom Convoy" was supposed to present its findings in December. December of 2022, that is.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.