Pine Grove Correctional Centre. (File photo/ paNOW Staff)

By Susan McNeil

Kakaway inquest

Kakakaway inquest resumes with testimony of Pine Grove staff

Jan 19, 2026 | 5:37 PM

An inquest into the death of Lynette Kakakaway, who died at age 33 while incarcerated at Pine Grove Correctional Centre, has resumed after several months of hiatus.

The coroner’s inquest heard on Monday, January 19, that Kakakaway’s opioid withdrawal symptoms were not severe, as per the symptoms noted by nurses in the jail.

When inmates first come into the facility, they are given an orientation by correctional officers (or COs) and also go through an intake health assessment with a facility nurse.

The Correctional Officer who was supposed to do Kakakaway’s orientation testified that she wasn’t feeling well enough to do it but she had been in Pine Grove before so she was familiar with how things worked.

It is not uncommon for inmates to come in not feeling well and more than half have alcohol or drug addiction challenges.

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“She seemed like she had flu-like symptoms,” said the officer.

Kakaway didn’t want to eat and wanted to sleep but also was asking for methadone, which is used to reduce the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. She told nurses that she used fentanyl and meth.

Like alcohol, opioid withdrawal can occasionally be fatal and, according to the testimony of the forensic pathologist who testified during the first day of the inquest, Kakakaway’s death was likely due to a combination of her drug use and a recent rupture of her esophagus.

The nurse who checked on her at 3 p.m., said she was alert, oriented, and responsive to conversation and asked for methadone. Because of the length of time since she had last taken methadone, which was about nine days, she could not resume her normal prescription as tolerance fades and the potential for overdose is increased.

Medical staff use a scale to assess the severity of opioid withdrawal. When Kakakaway entered the facility June 23, 2022, her scores started out at a nine and dropped to four that night.

Symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are included and Pine Grove policy is to have a doctor called if they get over 10. Numbers between zero and nine are considered mild withdrawal and treated with medicines like Tylenol, Ibuprofen and Immodium or benzodiazepines if needed.

Kakakaway told her cellmate and a nurse that she thought she was having a stroke, but the nurse said in the inquest that she had no symptoms of a stroke.

At 11 p.m. that night, the nurse looked into the cell and noted Kakakaway was laying down sleeping and was breathing.

Both correctional officers and nurses said the jail does not offer routine specific training in spotting the signs of opioid withdrawal.

Nurses learn it in the course of their regular training. It is also touched on in the CPR training, according to one of the COs, but there is no dedicated training for that.

Kakakaway’s cellmate, Delores Roberts, was supposed to testify but justice department staff could not find her to issue the subpoena. An audio recording of her testimony to police officers was played instead.

Roberts’ statement showed a different level of symptoms than staff had seen.

Kakakaway was vomiting throughout the night and filled two garbage bags with vomit. When officers asked Roberts why Kakakaway didn’t go to the toilet, she answered that she couldn’t.

She also heard comments about having a stroke or heart attack and said that at one point, Kakaway was lying on the floor rolling around. Before breakfast, Roberts helped her get into clean clothes and then lie down in the bed.

The inquest resumes Tuesday morning.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com