Six months have passed since Nathaniel Schofield died in police custody and his family wants to know what happened.
“It’s been a challenge, to say the least,” his mother, Faye Dzikewich, told CTV News on Monday. “Like a rollercoaster ride through a nightmare.”
Schofield, a 36-year-old father from Arthur, Ont., was arrested for what Ontario Provincial Police called a minor offence. On July 10, 2024, after spending the night in a Rockwood, Ont. cell, he was found in medical distress. Schofield was then taken to a Guelph, Ont. hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
Dzikewich only learned of her son’s death after waiting hours for Schofield to appear in court.
His death sparked an investigation by the Special Investigations Unit.
The SIU, which investigates all suspected police misconduct, said, where possible, investigations must be completed within 120 days.
Schofield’s death was more than 180 days ago and still, no findings have been released.
“How can anyone heal when they don’t even know what happened? You know, just seeing his children, my grandchildren, up in arms,” Dzikewich said.
An SIU spokesperson told CTV News the matter is still under review and each case has varying levels of complexity.
“While we aim to complete our investigations within 120 days of commencing an investigation, it is not always possible,” the statement read, in part.
Dzikewich said her son had no previous criminal record and worries Schofield wasn’t being monitored closely enough while in custody.
It is why she has filed an official complaint with the OPP.
“Davin Charney, my lawyer that’s representing in this case, he acquired the paramedics report and the ER report,” Dzikewich said. “Saying he was breathing when he wasn’t is a very important highlight.”
One of her concerns is that proper care may not have been taken when Schofield went into medical distress.
“This is 12 to 14 hours after the arrest, spending the night in this place,” she explained. “He was under high levels of stress to begin with.”
In an emailed statement to CTV News Kitchener, an OPP spokesperson wrote, “The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) sincerely sympathizes with the family and continues to offer our deepest condolences. The OPP is committed to fully cooperating with any Special Investigations Unit (SIU) investigation so the public can have complete confidence in police operations and actions. As the matter is under investigation by the SIU, the OPP is unable to provide further comment.”
Dzikewich said she is thankful for the work of the paramedics, firefighters and her lawyer, so she wants to pay it forward. In the next few months, she is looking at creating an online support group for families going through similar situations.
While each day that goes by without answers makes it harder to heal, Dzikewich is not giving up.
“I’m still rooting for [Nathaniel]. I’m still here fighting. I won’t stop until the day I die.”
