(Sherbrooke) The coroner’s report into the death of a woman whose body was initially mistaken for a dummy says Sherbrooke police and firefighters have since received training to help them avoid making such mistakes in the future.
Posted at 3:08 p.m.
Laurette Therrien, 64, died in July 2021 after setting herself on fire in a field near a factory in Sherbrooke. Several witnesses and even emergency services personnel initially believed it was a burnt-out dummy, the coroner’s report said.
After speaking to witnesses and consulting with firefighters, officers put the body in a dumpster. Investigators only discovered several hours later that patrol officers had thrown human remains in the trash.
In his report, coroner Richard Drapeau points out that since the death of Ms.me Therrien, Sherbrooke police and firefighters received training with a forensic pathologist and received new guidelines for documenting deaths.
Coroner Drapeau also adds that first responders are now required to work more closely with ambulance technicians.
To explain this error, the coroner suggests that the first responders may have been confused because the body of Mrs.me Therrien had been transformed by the fire and was covered in extinguisher powder. The coroner also indicates that the “influence of the group” could have affected the initial perception of each one.
Mr. Drapeau further ruled that Mr.me Therrien had indeed committed suicide and that the cause of death was asphyxiation by smoke inhalation. She had left a note and brought the gas can from home.