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Toxicology tests ordered into deaths of two inmates at Drumheller prison

Toxicology tests have been ordered to determine why two inmates died Christmas Eve at Drumheller Institution.Prison spokeswoman Dawn Bancroft says the tests, which take about six weeks, are usually ordered when the cause of death is unclear.

DRUMHELLER, Alta. — Toxicology tests have been ordered to determine why two inmates died Christmas Eve at Drumheller Institution.

Prison spokeswoman Dawn Bancroft says the tests, which take about six weeks, are usually ordered when the cause of death is unclear.

Alberta RCMP had just started investigating the death of one of the men when guards found another inmate unresponsive in his cell.

Both men lived in separate, single cells in the federal facility, which houses nearly 600 medium and minimum-security inmates.

The prison was locked down for four days after the deaths.

Bancroft says the coroner’s office is still waiting for tests to determine the cause of death of a third Drumheller inmate on Dec. 12.