Jury at Guy Mitchell’s Inquest Has a Decision

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Adults with developmental disabilities are vulnerable and deserve the same legislative protections as children – that was the gist of many recommendations that came out of a coroner’s jury investigating the 2012 death of Guy Mitchell.

Mitchell drown in the outdoor water tank of the Ancaster home he was living in as part of a provincial program.

Guy Mitchell functioned like a five year old, but a five year old would have been better protected. Police believe he was sent to the water tank on the day that he died, to fetch water because there was no running water or heat in the house at the time.

The coroner’s jury thinks vulnerable adults need their own protective legislation, including an onus to report suspect abuse.

The Jury also recommended tighter controls over host families, but the coroner’s lawyer says that doesn’t mean the program should be scrapped, families already wait years to place developmentally disabled adults they can no longer care for.

The agency in charge of Guy Mitchell’s home, says it has already made changes.