'I believe I had checked well enough': Worker at B.C. group home where Cree teen found dead in closet testifies
Warning: This story contains details that readers may find disturbing.
A worker at the B.C. group home where Traevon Desjarlais was found dead in his closet days after he went missing told a coroner's inquest he checked the teen's room repeatedly – but there was no sign of him.
Desjarlais, who was 17 when he died in 2020, was Cree and living in an Abbotsford facility operated by the Fraser Valley Aboriginal Children and Family Services Society under contract to the provincial government.
Murray McMaster, who worked at the home at the time, said he reported Deslarlais' disappearance to the Ministry of Children and Family Development on Sept. 14, after finding his room empty.
He testified he repeatedly checked the home and Desjarlais’ bedroom, which had numerous large holes in the walls, in the days that followed.
"I went in. I looked around. I looked under the bed. I looked for any signs he had been back in there and I didn’t see any,” McMaster said, providing his testimony at the inquest by video link Thursday.
When asked if he had checked the closet, McMaster said, “I believe I had checked well enough.”
FOUL SMELL PROMTS FURTHER ACTION
But three days after the teen's disappearance, McMaster told the inquest, he noticed a smell coming from the basement.
"That’s when I started searching other areas of the house, the boiler room, under the stairs,” he testified, appearing by video link.
By Sept. 18, McMaster said it was "starting to enter my mind that he might be down there and I wasn’t finding him…That fear was in the back of my mind, yes.”
But he said he did not convey that fear to Abbotsford Police or tell them about the foul smell until they showed up at the home later that day.
Officers found Desjarlais’ body hanging in his bedroom closet shortly after arriving.
Desjarlais’ mother was at the inquest and wept as the worker testified, leaving the room at one point when she was overcome with emotion.
TEEN'S MENTAL HEALTH WAS DETERIORATING
A transcript of McMaster's Sept. 15 call to police, when he first reported Desjarlais missing to law enforcement, was also read at the inquest Thursday.
It indicated McMaster had not told them the teen was suicidal. However, earlier testimony indicated Desjarlais had made a suicidal comment the month prior.
McMaster said he called Abbotsford Police at that time, but was told they didn’t have cause to apprehend the teen under the Mental Health Act.
After that, McMaster said, Desjarlais' mental health further deteriorated.
“His behavior had become very erratic and I believe it was the reliving of trauma from events outside the home. He was struggling a lot,” McMaster said of the teen’s condition in September of 2020.
He also testified that, “I’m not trained to take somebody through trauma. I reached out for help.”
The worker said he did not believe Desjarlais was taking his medication at the time of his death and that Desjarlais had a history of going missing from the home.
An inquest into the teen's death was not mandatory, however one was ordered by the BC Coroners Service earlier this year because "there is reason to believe that the public has an interest in being informed of the circumstances."
While an inquest cannot make findings of fault, it has three main functions, according to the province: to determine the facts surrounding the death; to make recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths in the future; and "to ensure public confidence that the circumstances surrounding the death of an individual will not be overlooked, concealed or ignored."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW 'Oh my God, you're my brother': Manitoba man discovers six unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
Canucks hold off Oilers for 4-3 win in Game 3
Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist, and the Vancouver Canucks hung on for a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise's disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.