The opening day of a coroner's inquest into the death of an aboriginal woman was painful for the family.

"It feels painful in the sense that it's like that you're reliving any moment … you're hearing every detail," said Colleen Petersen, a sister of Leona Harquail, who died three years ago.

Harquail, 43, was found dead of an apparent drug overdose in January 2005, a day after she had signed herself out of a Campbellton, N.B., addiction centre.

Presiding coroner John Evans spoke of Harquail's troubled life during the opening statements.

Harquail and her seven siblings grew up in an atmosphere marked by violence and alcoholism as the children were moved in and out of foster care. She also eventually began to abuse drugs and alcohol.

She struggled with addiction and mental illness, Evans said.

Three RCMP officers testified on Monday they had encounters with Harquail in the weeks leading up to her death.

Harquail was well-known to local police, said Cpl. Ron DeSilva who responded to the 911 call that came from the apartment building where the woman was found dead.

The call was placed by the apartment's occupant Guy-Marc Levesque, DeSilva said.

Levesque told police Harquail had taken five percocet tablets the night before she was found dead and within an hour she was asleep, the officer testified.

The next morning Levesque found Harquail still in the same chair as the night before and presuming she was still alseep went out to do some errands, DeSilva said.

When he returned in the afternoon to still find her motionless he called 911, he said.

Levesque is expected to testify later in the week.

Harquail's family has pushed for an inquest since her death — asking for a better understanding of factors in the system that may have contributed to her death.

Harquail's sisters say they tried to get her help from the police and the medical community several times.

"Just because we're not a doctor or a lawyer or a politician we are still educated people and we do have common sense and are capable of making a sane decision of knowing when someone needs help," said Deborah Harquail. "So hopefully they will listen to people and maybe this will save lives."

The purpose of a coroner's inquest is to ensure that no unexpected death is overlooked and to ensure that those dependent on others for their care and custody are properly treated, New Brunswick's chief coroner Diane Kelly.

The inquest is meant to provide a forum for a full review of the circumstances and will allow a jury to consider preventative measures.

The inquest is expected to run until Friday and the jury will come back with recommendations on Monday.

"The system really needs to start listening to families more. These systems are there to serve the communities. We pay for them," Harquail said.

The family will be happy if the inquest helps bring attention to flaws in the system and is able to help even one other family in a simliar situation, Petersen said.

"When the family says, 'Listen, there's a serious concern here, we're really worried about her,' not to just to take our words that we're talking in the air. There is a concern. Investigate. Do something," Petersen said.