Friends are speaking out after the death of a 33-year-old man who was found unconscious in a London prison

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A man who died after being found unconscious in a cell at a troubled London provincial prison had experienced previous trauma and violence at the hands of the criminal justice system but never stopped trying to improve his life, his friends say.

Friends identified the man found unresponsive at the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Center on Thursday as Matthew Bouvier, 33, of Seaforth, southeast of Goderich.

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Chad Anderson, Bouvier’s childhood friend, said he and others closest to Bouvier are not sure why he was detained and placed at EMDC, nor do they yet know what caused his death.

“Matthew’s journey is characterized by perseverance and resilience in the face of trauma, systemic neglect and relentless adversity,” Anderson wrote in an interview with The Free Press Sunday.

“Matthew deserves better, as do thousands of others trapped in Ontario’s broken system.”

London police said Friday that emergency crews were called to the Exeter Road jail around 7:20 p.m. on Oct. 24 last Thursday after receiving a 9-1-1 call about an unresponsive man.

Emergency services took the man to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

London police and the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario have not yet released the identity of the deceased man.

Bouvier became addicted fentanyl taking benzodiazepines after a life-threatening assault at the prison years ago, Anderson said.

Anderson said Bouvier suffered permanent physical disabilities and chronic pain as a result of the assault by four inmates. Bouvier’s requests for medical attention were denied until he was taken to a hospital a few days later for emergency surgery to stop internal bleeding, Anderson said.

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Faced with lasting pain from the assault and no medical option to treat it, Matthew turned to opioids, which “quickly developed into a serious fentanyl addiction,” Anderson said.

Bouvier’s attempts to treat his addictions with methadone and suboxone were unsuccessful, leaving him “locked in a cycle he could never break,” Anderson said.

Anderson said the 33-year-old has made great strides over the past year to regain control of his life and has found purpose in caring for his girlfriend, Dayna Stanley, and her children.

Anderson said Bouvier was a loyal friend who cared deeply about his friends and family. He also loved working on cars and could fix anything put in front of him, he said.

“By sharing Matthew’s story, we hope to foster a world where everyone is treated with the dignity and care they deserve, regardless of their past,” Anderson wrote.

Bouvier’s death is Bouvier’s 23rd death at the difficult prison since 2009 and the second this year.

Bryan Michael Meyers, 35, died in hospital on February 16 after being found in jail due to poor health.

The latest death at EMDC occurred the same week that an investigation into the deaths of seven other people was scheduled to begin. The inquest – a quasi-judicial hearing in which a jury makes non-binding recommendations on how to prevent similar deaths – was postponed for legal reasons.

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