News Release
SIU Appeals for Witnesses in Port Hope Death
Case Number: 08-OCD-169
At approximately 12:20 a.m. on Wednesday August 20, 2008, a woman walking her dog discovered a man apparently unconscious on the sidewalk in front of a residence at 76 Cavan Street in Port Hope. The man, identified as 36-year-old Daryl Thompson of Port Hope, was arrested for public intoxication and taken to the Port Hope police station. During a subsequent check of the cells later that day, he was found with vital signs absent and pronounced dead by the local coroner.
A post-mortem examination is scheduled to take place at the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto today.
The SIU is appealing for anyone, who may have been with Mr. Thompson prior to he being discovered at about 12:20 a.m. August 20th or who may have any information about this matter, to contact the Unit at 1-800-787-8529 or 416-641-1867.
The SIU has assigned two field investigators and two forensic investigators to this case. Three officers - two subject officers and one witness officer - have been designated as part of the investigation to assist in determining the circumstances and sequences of events surrounding this occurrence.
If you or someone you know has been negatively affected by an incident under SIU investigation and would like support, the Affected Persons Program is here to help. You can reach us at 1-877-641-1897. Support is free, confidential, and available 24/7, every day of the year.
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (municipal, regional and provincial police officers, police officers with the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, special constables with the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service) that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, the Director of the SIU must
- consider whether the official has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
- depending on the evidence, cause a criminal charge to be laid against the official where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid
- publicly report the results of its investigations