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Mother testifies about heartbreaking night she lost her son

THUNDER BAY – Through tears, Maryanne Panacheese told a coroner’s inquest about the moments when she found her son unresponsive in the last moments of his life.
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Paul Panacheese, 21, died on Nov. 11, 2006. A post mortem exam did not find an anatomical nor toxicological cause of death. (Nishnawbe Aski Nation)

THUNDER BAY – Through tears, Maryanne Panacheese told a coroner’s inquest about the moments when she found her son unresponsive in the last moments of his life.

Panacheese took the stand Thursday at the Thunder Bay Courthouse during the fourth day of the inquest into the deaths of seven students attending school in Thunder Bay from their remote First Nations communities, and recounted the heartbreaking, fateful night she lost her 21-year-old son.

Her son, Paul, had left his home community of Mishkeegogamang First Nation at the age of 15 to attend school before arriving three years later in Thunder Bay to go to Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School.

His mother told the inquest she came to Thunder Bay in November 2006 to be with her son.

On the night of Nov. 10, 2006 Paul Panacheese had left his mother’s boarding house to meet up with friends. He returned later, in the early morning hours of Nov. 11, 2006. He told his mother he was home before she went up to bed.

She was awoken by a crash and found he had collapsed on the floor. Unsure the cause, she told him to go to sleep in his bed or on the couch before she became worried and called 911.

When police and paramedics responded, she was told to stay in the living room while they tended to her son. 

“I tried to go to my boy. Nobody was saying anything,” she said. “The police were with Paul. I’m not sure when the ambulance came, maybe shortly after. I can’t remember. When we finally got allowed to go to him was when they put him on the stretcher.”

She contacted the on-call workers from Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School, who drove her to the hospital to be with her son.

“We were in the waiting room wondering what was happening, praying at the same time,” she said. “Then two doctors came out and they told me to come over. They told me to sit down and all I remember hearing is ‘there’s nothing else we could have done.’” That’s all I remember hearing.”

Paul Panacheese, 21, was pronounced dead in hospital after efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.

A post mortem report introduced as evidence earlier in the report found there was neither an anatomical nor toxicological cause of death. While a toxicology examination found he had been drinking, it is not believed to be a factor.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Toby Rose previously testified she believed a rare hereditary heart condition may have caused his death.

The inquest also heard from his girlfriend who said Panacheese had complained of chest pains on occasion during the year they had been together but she did not think anything of it at the time.

The inquest is probing the deaths of Panacheese, 15-year-old Jethro Anderson, 18-year-old Curran Strang, 18-year-old Robyn Harper, 15-year-old Reggie Bushie, 17-year-old Kyle Morriseau and 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse. The seven died between 2000 and 2011.

The five-member jury is tasked with hearing the evidence and formulating recommendations to prevent future similar deaths.

The inquest is expected to last six months and hear from as many as 200 witnesses.





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