Name: Gabriel Poirier.
Died: April 17, 2008.
Age at death: 9.
Cause of death: Suffocation during restraint.
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Details:
Gabriel was a gentle boy, though he could be loud. He collected comic books and sang along to his favorite songs.
Gabriel was in class, and having tics that caused him to make loud noises; tics are uncontrollable, and Gabriel could not have stopped them. A teacher who told him to calm down repeatedly grew frustrated with him, wrapped him in a weighted blanket, and left him there for twenty minutes. By the time she checked on him, he was in a deep coma, and he died shortly thereafter.
References:
Autistic boy likely suffocated: coroner’s report
Autistic child suffocated in therapeutic blanket: Quebec coroner | CBC News
Why Hasn’t The Person Who killed Gabriel Poirier Who Suffered From Autism Been Charged With Criminal Negliegence Causing Death?
Blanket suffocates autistic boy in Quebec
Autism Memorial 