Only 1 piece of evidence linked Colton Clarkin with suicide before his 2023 death, inquest hears [Video]

Warning: This story deals with suicide. If you or someone you know has been struggling with mental health, you can find resources for help at the bottom of this story.

Testimony wrapped up Friday at the coroner’s inquest into the death of Colton Clarkin in July 2023, but the process will now stretch into an unplanned fourth day on Monday.

Clarkin died by suicide after fleeing the Hillsborough Hospital grounds while walking there with his father. He was in the Charlottetown facility as an involuntary patient under an order from the province’s Criminal Code Review Board, despite the psychiatric hospital team believing he was not a good fit for their facility.

On Friday the inquest jurors heard the only piece of evidence that linked the 27-year-old Emyvale man with suicide before his death: a checkbox on an admission form.

A month before his death in July, Clarkin checked “yes” when answering the question: “Have you attempted to …