VICTORIA — An inquest will be held to try to determine what happened to a 17-year-old Indigenous youth who was reported missing from his Abbotsford, B.C., group home in September 2020 and found dead in the closet of his bedroom four days later.
A statement issued by the BC Coroners Service says the inquest into the death of Traevon Desjarlais has been ordered because there is "reason to believe that the public has an interest in being informed of the circumstances" surrounding the death.
The inquest will begin at the Burnaby Coroners' Court on Nov. 28.
A cause of death of the Cree youth has not been released, but major crime detectives with Abbotsford police said at the time that no criminality was involved.
The teen was living at a group home operated by an organization under contract to Fraser Valley Aboriginal Children and Family Services Society when he was found.
The teen's aunt said shortly after his death that the family trusted the government and the delegated Aboriginal agency to take care of him.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2022.
The Canadian Press
