Family of Indigenous woman who died in Ontario hospital after 2 ER visits seeks homicide ruling at inquest – CBC
Apr 21, 2026
Autopsy shows bacterial blood infection but no infection source that led to sepsis
Heather Winterstein’s family is urging an inquest jury to determine her 2021 sepsis death in a St. Catharines, Ont., hospital was a homicide, due to biases and errors made in her assessment and treatment.
Winterstein, 24, who was a member of the Cayuga Nation with ties to Six Nations of the Grand River, was taken by ambulance to the hospital two days in a row after suffering a fall. She was sent home on Dec. 9 and returned to the emergency department the next day, but collapsed after a 2½-hour wait and later died despite efforts to save her.
