Inquest to examine deaths that occurred while men were in custody or after transfer to hospital
The Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario has scheduled an inquest into the deaths of five men who died while in custody at, or after being transferred to hospital from, the Maplehurst Correctional Complex in Milton.
Dr. Kenneth Peckham, Regional Supervising Coroner for the Central West Region, announced that the inquest will begin on June 8, 2026, and will be conducted by video conference.
The proceedings will examine the deaths of Levi Brown, David Nakoneshny, Stefan Ryan, Rahul Saini and Lovepreet Singh, all of whom died between 2019 and 2022 while connected to the provincial correctional facility.
“The inquest will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, June 8, 2026,” the Ministry of the Solicitor General said in a news release issued Wednesday.
Dr. Geoffrey Bond will serve as the presiding officer, while Jai Dhar has been appointed as inquest counsel.
Deaths occurred over a three-year period
According to the Ministry of the Solicitor General, Levi Brown, 29, died on Dec. 10, 2019. Lovepreet Singh, 23, died on Oct. 28, 2020. David Nakoneshny, 34, died on April 20, 2022, followed by Stefan Ryan, 46, on April 29, 2022, and Rahul Saini, 25, on Sept. 3, 2022.
All five men died while in custody at Maplehurst Correctional Complex or after being transferred from the institution to hospital.
Located in Milton, Ontario, Maplehurst Correctional Complex is one of the province’s largest correctional facilities and houses individuals in pre-trial detention as well as those serving shorter custodial sentences.
Under Ontario’s Coroners Act, inquests are mandatory in certain custodial deaths. The proceedings are intended to publicly examine the circumstances surrounding the deaths and identify possible measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Jury may issue recommendations following hearings
The upcoming inquest is expected to last approximately 10 days and hear evidence from about 15 witnesses.
“The inquest will examine the circumstances surrounding Mr. Brown’s, Mr. Nakoneshny’s, Mr. Ryan’s, Mr. Saini’s, and Mr. Singh’s deaths,” the release stated. “The jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing further deaths.”
Coroner’s inquests in Ontario do not determine criminal or civil liability. Instead, they focus on fact-finding and can result in non-binding recommendations directed at government agencies, correctional institutions, healthcare providers or other organizations.
Public access available through video conference
The proceedings will be conducted virtually, allowing members of the public to observe online through a live video conference link provided by the Office of the Chief Coroner.
The Ministry said the remote format is intended to provide broader public access to the hearings.
Members of the public wishing to view the proceedings can access the livestream through the official Office of the Chief Coroner webpage dedicated to the inquest.
Ontario’s coroner system regularly conducts inquests involving deaths in custody, including incidents connected to correctional institutions, police interactions and other circumstances where public oversight is required under provincial legislation.
The forthcoming hearings are expected to draw attention from legal observers, correctional advocates and families seeking greater transparency surrounding conditions and oversight within Ontario’s correctional system.
Additional information about coroner’s inquests in Ontario is available through the provincial government’s official resources.