The family of Skyler Sappier, a Wolostoqey man who died of COVID-19 at the Saint John Hospital last year, is still fighting for justice.

The 28-year-old man from Neqotkuk (Tobique First Nation) died on January 31, 2022, two days after being transferred from the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre, where he became ill during a COVID-19 outbreak. Despite doctors’ efforts to save him, his condition deteriorated, most likely due to complications with lung problems and pneumonia. His family found out about his critical condition less than five hours before he passed away.

In May this year, the jury in a coroner’s inquest found that Sappier, a father of two, died of natural causes. The 21 recommendations issued by the all-white jury included very little feedback from the family, instead touching on matters such as procedural improvements, record keeping, logistics and staffing.

The family says that Sappier suffered from medical neglect in jail, and they plan to launch legal action. Chief Ross Perley of Neqotkuk First Nation has also renewed calls for an “Indigenous-led inquiry into the systemic racism that is on full display in today’s justice system.” This follows demands for an inquiry prompted by police shootings that claimed the lives of two Indigenous people in New Brunswick in 2020. 

For more on this story, we spoke to Data Brainanta, who writes for the NB Media Co-op. His new article, which examines the coroner’s inquest and the family's fight for justice, has just appeared on nbmediacoop.org. Data recently won the Brian Beaton Annual Prize in Journalism for Justice, which was announced at this year’s Annual General Meeting of the NB Media Co-op in September.