RN Kylee Rogers lost her brother Zakery in 2021. He died in an Ontario jail, and her call for an inquest was shared in the Spring-Summer 2025 issue of RNJ. An inquest in August 2025 found his cause of death was myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart. 

Rogers represented the family during the inquest and says she drew on her experience as a nurse to ask firm questions in a calm manner. “I wanted to be taken seriously,” she says. “I didn't want to seem like a hysterical family member who's just so angry that I'm just saying things. The questions that I have are meaningful and they come from somewhere important."

The inquest offered 13 recommendations directed at corrections and the health-care system. Among them: the creation of a committee to review communications when someone is transferred from a hospital to a jail; resources for people released from jail, with information on who to contact to get prescription medication and resolve health issues; and a dedicated person/team to provide support following release, including a short-term supply of necessary medications.

Rogers says she is pleased with the recommendations, noting that had they been implemented sooner, they “would’ve made a world of difference for Zak.” She worries that there was no accountability for her brother’s death. "I feel like we won the battle, but the war rages on," she says. (CBC News, Aug. 26)