'We don't know what happened to her,' says family of inmate who died in Pine Grove

The family of an inmate woman who died in a provincial jail this summer say her life could have been saved.

Lynette Kakakaway was 33-years-old when she died on June 24 in Pine Grove Correctional Centre in Prince Albert. She died 36 hours after being transported to Pine Grove on remand.

Her twin sister Jeanette Kakakaway has gathered eye-witness accounts from three women who were on the unit when Kakakaway died. They say Kakakaway’s requests for help were ignored and passed off.

“I heard her cry in bed and plead. The correctional staff would come by and they would tell her ‘oh, stop faking it okay, you’re just faking’,” said River Gardypie.

Gardypie was allegedly in the cell next to Kakakaway when she died. She says she heard the staff call a code blue at 7:45 a.m. on June 24 when they checked on Kakakaway in her cell.

“She was begging for medical attention but was straight up denied and was told the nurses will be here when they get here,” said Gardypie.

Jeanette says Kakakaway had children and was a kind hearted person who was “always willing to help.” She says her seven siblings were all “hit hard” by her death and her brothers had to make funeral arrangements and to bury her in Keeseekoose First Nation, where she hails from.

“My sister didn’t deserve to die in there like that. Something more could have been done for her,” said Jeanette.

She says her sister wasn't having any health problems when she went to jail and she was on methadone to break an addiction.

“She seemed really healthy, like she was okay and then the next week she was gone,” said her sister.

Jeanette contacted the provincial ombudsman, but she still hasn’t seen an autopsy report or received any information to describe how her sister died.

“I’ve been trying to find out how she died and trying to get to the bottom of it,” she said.

She says her cousin, Bernard James Quewezance, died on June 2 at the Regina Correctional Centre.

“How many deaths is it going to take…to see how inmates are really treated in there,” said Jeanette.

Jeanette wants changes made to the way medical emergencies are handled by staff in provincial jails.

The Elizabeth Fry Society says there have been six “untimely” deaths of female inmates while in the care of provincial corrections from 2019 - 2022. Elizabeth Fry has requested standing in four of the remaining inquests into those deaths.

They says those incidents are pending inquests to determine the reasons for each death and they can’t comment further as they will likely be called to testifying at the inquests.

The non-profit organization works with women before, during, and after incarceration in order to end recidivism and the poverty cycle.

When CTV News enquired about the death, the provincial Ministry of Justice said the Saskatchewan Coroners Service has conducted an autopsy and is awaiting the results. Once the final autopsy report is received, the Coroner will share the findings with the immediate family.

“Depending on the circumstances, details surrounding a death in custody may be made public through the coroner’s inquest process,” said the Ministry of Justice.

The Saskatchewan Coroners Service makes the final decision on whether to hold an inquest into a death in custody, subject to the requirements set out in section 20 of The Coroner’s Act, 1999.

“I want closure and I want to know how exactly she died,” said Jeanette.