The BC Coroners Service has announced an inquest into the death of Robert Wayne (Robbie) Slatten.

The inquest is scheduled to begin on Jan. 16, 2013 at the BC Coroners Service courtroom in Burnaby.

Mr. Slatten, aged 31, was an inmate at the Fraser Regional Correctional Centre in Maple Ridge when, on the evening of Oct. 19, 2010, he was found unresponsive in his cell. He could not be resuscitated.

Presiding coroner Liana Wright and a jury will hear evidence from subpoenaed witnesses to determine the facts surrounding this death. While the jury may not, by law, make any findings of legal responsibility, it will have the opportunity to make recommendations aimed at preventing deaths under similar circumstances in the future.

An inquest is a formal process that allows for public presentation of evidence relating to a death.

Date: Jan. 16 - 18, 2013

Time: 9:30 a.m.

Place: 20th Floor, Metrotower II, 4720 Kingsway, Burnaby

For further information, please contact:

Barb McLintock
Coroner, Strategic Programs
BC Coroners Service
250 356-9253 or 250 213-5020