A British Columbia coroner’s jury will begin hearing evidence today into the death of an Indigenous teenager at a group home in the Fraser Valley.
The body of 17-year-old Traevon Desjarlais was found on Sept. 18, 2020, in the closet of his Abbotsford, B.C., group home four days after he was reported missing.
At the time of his death, Abbotsford police said there was no criminality involved, although the cause of his death was not released.
The teen had been living in the home operated by the Fraser Valley Aboriginal Children and Family Services Society under contract to the provincial government.
The coroner’s jury will hear evidence from witnesses under oath, but the inquest is not a fault-finding inquiry.
The coroner says in a statement that the jury will make recommendations, supported by evidence, on ways to prevent deaths in similar circumstances.
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