Photo: Contributed

Police in Penticton have been cleared of wrongdoing in the death of an elderly woman at home this summer. 

The Independent Investigations Office of BC had launched an inquiry in August relating to the death, to determine whether police action had played a part. 

On July 30, 2020 at approximately 8 p.m., officers responded to a request for assistance from neighbours of an elderly woman, who were concerned about her behaviour. 

The IIO report reads that officers attended, offered her a trip to the hospital which she declined, and departed. 

The next day, July 31, a neighbour found the woman deceased. 

An autopsy determined her cause of death to be natural. 

"The IIO’s Chief Civilian Director has reviewed the evidence – including statements from independent witnesses, health records and the autopsy report – and determined that the death of the woman was not the result of police actions or inaction," concludes the report.