Inquest jury rules Haven Dubois died by drowning, manner of death 'undetermined'

After three hours of deliberation, the jury at a coroner’s inquest in Regina came to the conclusion Haven Dubois died by drowning, and that the manner of his death is "undetermined."

The jury's findings differs from the determination made by police and the coroner at the time, who ruled Haven's death as an accidental drowning.

The inquest into Haven Dubois' May 20, 2015 death came to a close Wednesday evening after three days of witness and expert testimony.

Haven’s family said they were relieved with the conclusion after an emotional few days.

Earlier in the day, one of the lead investigators in the Dubois case was the sole witness called to testify.

Sgt. Marie Rupcich of the Regina Police Service (RPS) recalled the timeline of events the day Dubois died, as well as various parts of the investigation.

Rupcich said Richelle Dubois did not have her statement taken until January of 2016, despite being the person who discovered Haven’s body, as well as being his mother.

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During Rupcich’s testimony, it was determined door-to-door questioning of residents near the park were not completed until February of 2016.

The correct location of where Haven’s body was located also came into question, as Rupcich could not be absolutely certain of the exact spot.

She went on to say Richelle Dubois camping outside of the RPS Headquarters in early 2016 played a part in police re-evaluating the case.

Rupcich said that Haven’s best friend was not considered a suspect, despite him offering different stories to police, as well as being in possession of Haven's cell phone days after his death.

She said from the investigation, police determined there was no foul play, and there were no links made to gang activity.

The jury consisted of six people who observed the testimonies, as well as viewed all the evidence offered at the inquest.

Despite making a determination on Haven’s death, the jury did not offer any recommendations.