RCMP admits error in woman's death

The RCMP has apologized and says it has changed its policies following the death of Kerry Canepotatoe,who died in the wilderness in northern Saskatchewan after a 911 call failed to bring help.

At a news conference Thursday, the RCMP's chief superintendent in Regina, Randy Beck, said it was "simple human error" that resulted in the dispatcher who took the call from Canepotatoe's cousin not dispatching a tow truck.

"A simple mistake," Beck said. "The very next moment that this call was dropped, where the cellphone coverage was lost, the next call came in, which was a robbery. His attention was diverted to dealing with the caller on that robbery and subsequently erred in not dispatching."

The dispatcherisacivilian RCMP employee based Regina.

Canepotatoe, 19, was found dead April 12 on Highway 942 near Big River, Sask.

Shehad been withthree other people who were stranded after driving into a slough in a remote forested area on April 8.

One of the other three, her cousin Melissa Rabbitskin, phoned 911 for help.Inthe recording that wasplayed at the news conference, Rabbitskin can be heard asking for help several times.

The man shespoketo at the Regina communications centre told her that her phonewas cutting out and tried to find out where shewas.

"I don't know," she said. "I'm really lost, I don't know where I am."

Rabbitskin phoned three times.

"I have two kids with me and I'm trying to get back home and am stuck in water," she said on the final call. "It's kinda deep water and I'm trying to get back home."

Sheagain asked for a tow truck to pull her out.

"Yeah, just hang on there, I'm ... don't be pushing it girl," thedispatcher said a moment later. "So you don't know where youare. You're on the Chitek Road and that's all you know?"

Thedispatcher said hewas trying to gether a tow truck and then the line went dead.

Canepotatoe set off on foot to get help, but never made it to safety and died from exposure. She had travelled some 60 kilometres on thehighway to Big River.

Rabbitskin and two young children her four-year-old sonand 10-year-old nephew drank rainwater to survive and spent a week in the car before being found by searchers.

Beck saidhe spoke to thefamiliesand extendedhisdeepest sympathy and regretstheir loss.

"We did not live up to their expectations or the standards we have set for ourselves and for that we apologize," he said.

Beck said thedispatcher who handled the call had 33 years of experience.

He added that theemployee was going through an RCMP discipline process but declined to elaborate on that.

As a result of Canepotatoe's death,Beck said the RCMP has changed its policies on how 911 calls are handled.

Since Sept. 1, no single RCMP member can make the decision to closethe file on a 911 calland not send help. A supervisor must now sign off on such decisions.

Big River is about 230 kilometres north of Saskatoon.