Family demands accountability in death of B.C. residential school survivor

Warning: This story deals with disturbing subject matter that may upset and trigger some readers. Discretion is advised

Loved ones are demanding answers after the sudden death of a beloved man in Kamloops, B.C.

Douglas Hyacinth Eustache, a residential school survivor, died on June 9 and his case has raised serious questions about the treatment of Indigenous cases by law enforcement.

His family says eyewitness accounts contradict Kamloops RCMP’s initial conclusion of no foul play, fueling a demand for justice and a more thorough investigation into his untimely passing.

“Doug was my youngest brother. Growing up as kids, we were always together,” Darrell Eustache told Global News.

The older Eustache, who was called to hospital where he saw his brother in the intensive care unit with what he described as traumatic injuries, said police told the family Douglas is believed to have fallen down a flight of stairs.

“There’s no way, from the injuries he had, there was no criminal activity. There’s no way he can sustain those injuries from just that little bit of a fall,” he said.

The day before he died, Douglas was transported to hospital with what were described as blunt-force injuries. He was found unconscious at the foot of the stairs inside a townhouse complex.

Neighbour Jason Biron told Global News it’s a home known to host transient and unhoused people. He said he saw three people entering the unit with Douglas and all of them except Douglas had left the next morning.

A person coming to visit the home discovered Douglas unresponsive at the foot of the stairs and approached Biron for help.

Biron said after going to the unit and seeing Douglas laying in what he described as a “pool of blood,” he called police to the home.

“His eye was completely black, and he had a big gash on his head, his shoulder was screwed up. He looked like he had been punched lots of times,” Biron said.

Ten days later, RCMP announced his death was not considered suspicious. Biron said he was not interviewed by Kamloops RCMP and questions the department’s claims of having done a thorough investigation.

“There was foul play for sure. There was blood upstairs, there was blood downstairs. They had a stunt baton in there,” Biron said.

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Family members said they were not provided information on how long Douglas is believed to have been laying there before he was found or specifics into the circumstances of his death and how they ruled out foul play.

Douglas struggled with alcohol addiction and mental health. Relatives say he spent much of his time on the streets of Kamloops and most recently lived in a local sheltered housing complex.

Douglas’s family believes he may have been targeted because of cash he had on him from a disability cheque.

Family and friends are demanding not only a more thorough investigation but respect, transparency and better communication from police who they say failed to inform them no foul play was suspected, before publicly releasing that finding.

“It’s kind of like they wanted to get it done and over with,” Darrell Eustache said.

In a statement, Kamloops RCMP said its officers responded to the residence around 3:20 p.m. on Saturday, June 8 and that Douglas died in hospital in the early morning hours of June 9.

“A thorough investigation into his death was led by the Kamloops RCMP Detachment’s Serious Crime Unit, which included an execution of a residential search warrant, extensive police canvassing for information, evidence and video, forensic examinations, witness statements, and timelining of the events leading up to and following the man’s discovery; as well as consultation with the BC

Coroners Services regarding the findings of its concurrent investigation, which is ongoing,” Kamloops RCMP said.

Douglas’ friend Candis Garant told Global News she wrote a letter to police outlining the family’s concerns and providing information about the people witnesses reported seeing entering the home where Douglas was found.

“I was upset because the stories just don’t add up. I don’t feel the families’ voices were heard enough. He deserves better. He deserves a voice,” Garant said.

Eustache’s loved ones held a rally in July in the area where he was found calling for justice for Doug and fair treatment in the investigation into his death.

Simon Fraser University Indigenous Studies Department Chair Wenona Hall said she’s concerned by the Kamloops RCMP’s statement that “every sudden death, regardless of the identity of the deceased is investigated with equal urgency and thoroughness.”

“That is an outright lie,” Hall said adding, “There’s more than enough evidence out there that shows that cases involving Indigenous peoples are not treated the same. They need to do a complete paradigm shift in how they’re treating and dealing with our cases.”

Hall said it’s important to contextualize Douglas’ life and struggles in the larger narrative of injustices face by Indigenous people in Canada.

“For his situation to be deemed non criminal when we knew he attended residential school and we know residential school was a crime. So putting that within the larger narrative is important,” Hall said.

Hall said any case involving Indigenous people, whether it’s political, criminal, involving a perpetrator or victim, should be treated with extra care around the collective trauma of colonialism in Canada.

UBC First Nations and Indigenous Studies Assistant Professor Tricia Logan agrees the context of colonialism and colonial violence is critical.

“Those conversations about residential school, child welfare, Indian hospitals, the Indian Act, legislation, justice and law being interconnected with each other and not kind of isolated, one-off incidents but a much bigger picture that isn’t always talked about and isn’t always put into that context,” Logan said.

Eustache’s loved ones say their rallies for justice are part of a movement for recognition and change in a system that too often neglects Indigenous voices.

“I think that’s what individuals like Mr. Eustache carry with them, those generations of colonial violence that they carry with them as survivors of residential school,” Logan said.

Relatives are remembering Eustahce as a well-loved man who always thought beyond himself.

“He was a very giving and caring person, always about someone else, not himself,” his cousin Sandra Eustache said, adding, “this is not only for him, it’s for our first nations people to be able to work together and heal together.”

Eustache loved baseball and was a fan of the Toronto Blue Jays.

“We would go fishing, we played in ball tournaments,” his former partner Doreen Harry said.

A former firefighter, Eustache enjoyed adventures outdoors and made many memories camping with Doreen and her daughter Kim.

“Even after him and my mom separated I always called him dad so he was a big part of my life growing up,” Kim Harry said.

In a 2021 Global News interview, Eustache opened up about his experience in residential school while encouraging other survivors to seek professional help, the way he had been doing at a local recovery home.

“In his addiction, he’d go to the office every morning and call up there to see if they have a spot for him,” Darrel Eustache said.

The Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line (1-800-721-0066) is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of their residential school experience.

The Hope for Wellness Help Line offers culturally competent counselling and crisis intervention to all Indigenous Peoples experiencing trauma, distress, strong emotions and painful memories. The line can be reached anytime toll-free at 1-855-242-3310.