Yellowknife woman's death saddens health staff
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 4, 2009 | 2:56 PM CT
CBC News
Health-care workers in Behchoko, N.W.T., are mourning the loss of a colleague in what Yellowknife RCMP describe as a suspicious death earlier this week.
Tara Michelle Osmond, 29, was found unresponsive in her Yellowknife apartment on Sunday and was rushed to Stanton Territorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
"She was a happy, bubbly, feisty young lady," Anna Beals, Osmond's employer at the Behchoko health centre, told CBC News on Tuesday.
"Always had a quick smile for everybody. Just seemed to be positive all the way around."
RCMP say they are treating her death as suspicious, given her young age.
Her body has been sent to Alberta for an autopsy, but Sgt. Wayne Norris said it could take a while for results to come in.
"That could take anywhere from several weeks to several months," Norris said.
"The autopsies are performed in Alberta, so we work with Alberta and their medical examiner's office. So until then, it's not appropriate for me to comment."
Beals said Osmond started working at the Behchoko health centre this past fall. Co-workers are still dealing with the shock of her death and are relying on each other for support, she said.
"It's pretty quiet at the health centre, but people are coping well," Beals said. "They're pulling together, as a team should."
