B.C.’s chief coroner says the circumstances around Tatyanna Harrison’s death call for a ‘broad, open and transparent review’
Article content
A date has been set for a coroner’s inquest into the death of 20-year-old Tatyanna Harrison four years ago.
Article content
Harrison was found dead in a dry-docked yacht in Richmond on May 2, 2022, but wasn’t identified until August of that year. Her mother, who hadn’t heard from Harrison since March, reported her missing a day after the discovery of the body.
Article content
Article content
Police initially said Harrison died of a lethal fentanyl overdose, but later determined she had died of sepsis, a severe form of infection.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
The Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner ordered a review of the case and, in February 2026, a retired B.C. judge ruled that two Vancouver police officers failed in their investigation into Harrison’s disappearance. Brian Neal said the officers didn’t conduct a missing person’s risk assessment as was warranted by risk factors in the case.
Article content
Sunrise
Article content
“Tatyanna was vulnerable and at high risk for harm,” Harrison’s mother Natasha said at the time. “She needed to be considered high priority by law enforcement, she needed immediate action by law enforcement.”
Article content
B.C.’s chief coroner, Dr. Jatinder Baidwan, said an inquest is needed for a “broad, open and transparent review” of Harrison’s death.
Article content
“As a parent, I cannot fathom the trauma and grief that the Harrison family has experienced over the past three years,” said Baidwan. “The pain of losing a child is unimaginable, and the concerns the Harrisons have expressed regarding the circumstances of Tatyanna’s death only adds to that pain.”
Article content
Baidwan also ordered that the investigation into Harrison’s death be reopened, and noted that investigations into the similar deaths of Chelsea Poorman and Noelle O’Soup also remain open and might also lead to future inquests. Like Harrison, both Poorman and O’Soup were young Indigenous women found dead long after being reported missing.
Article content
Story continues below
Article content
“I offer my sincere condolences to the Harrison family for their loss and hope that this announcement is a step toward providing the closure they seek and deserve,” said Baidwan.
Article content
Read More
-
Still unsolved: A look at B.C.’s many missing and murdered
-
Families of missing, murdered Indigenous women speak out
-
Advertisement 1
Story continues below
Article content
“The investigations into the deaths of Chelsea Poorman and Noelle O’Soup remain open. Determinations about whether to proceed to inquest with these deaths will be made at a future date, and we will remain in communication with the Poorman and O’Soup families throughout the process.”
Article content
A coroner’s inquest is not designed to find fault but instead is called to determine the facts of the case and to make recommendations to prevent future deaths under similar circumstances.
Article content
Coroner Larry Marzinzik will preside over the inquest, and a jury will have the responsibility of making recommendations as they see fit. It cannot make any finding of legal responsibility or come to any conclusions in law.
Article content
The inquest begins at 9:30 a.m. on July 2 at Burnaby Coroners’ Court in the Metrotower complex on Kingsway, and will be live-streamed.
Article content
With files from Tiffany Crawford
Article content
Article content
