An inquest has been postponed into the deaths of three mental-health patients who passed away within a few days of leaving Abbotsford Regional Hospital (ARH) in December 2014 and April 2015.
The inquest was initially scheduled to begin May 16 at the coroners court in Burnaby, but the BC Coroners Service announced today that it will take place at a later date, which has not yet been finalized.
The availability of some key witnesses, additional information recently identified and an application for participant status received last week have combined to necessitate the delay, according to the service.
Presiding coroner Donita Kuzma said she has ordered the postponement to ensure that all of the information necessary for a thorough review of the circumstances of these deaths is available to the jury and participants.
The inquest will look into the death of Brian David Geisheimer, 30; Sebastien Pavit Abdi, 19; and Sarah Louise Charles, 41.
Geisheimer, most recently of Maple Ridge, died in Mission on Dec. 28, 2014. Abdi, of Abbotsford, died at the family home on April 26, 2015. Charles died near her Abbotsford apartment building, also on April 26, 2015.
Each of the three had been admitted patients at ARH for mental-health issues within a few days of their deaths, although the BC Coroners Services has not released any other details.
The inquest jury will have the opportunity to make recommendations aimed at preventing deaths under similar circumstances.