Coroner finds woman's death at Delta Hotel in Regina was accidental

The coroner's report into the death of a woman who fell ten storeys down a laundry chute at Regina's Delta Hotel says 29-year-old Nadine Machiskinic's death was accidental, and caused by trauma from the fall on Jan. 10, 2015.

The report also said combined drug toxicity was a factor in her death, adding that "despite the high level of drugs, in some instances lethal," Machiskinic was still conscious after the fall. 

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It described alcohol and drugs found in Machiskinic's system on the night of her death, including methadone, an antidepressant and a hypnotic, as well as the anti-anxiety drug diazepam and cocaine metabolite.

It also pointed to Regina Police investigators' contention there is no evidence to suggest foul play in her death. Police also said they found no indication of suicidal intent.

Shortly after Machiskinic's death, police sent out a brief news release indicating a woman had been found injured in a downtown hotel and died a couple of hours later. Her family said police told them privately the young woman had died violently, plunging 10 storeys down a laundry chute at the Delta Hotel. She was fatally injured and died two hours later in hospital.

Machiskinic's aunt, Delores Stevenson, previously told CBC she was in disbelief that the coroner's office had not released a report, months after the woman's death. Today's report comes nearly a year and a half after Machiskinic died.

Report references two men seen at hotel

Last month, Regina police released an image from security cameras at the hotel, taken the same morning Machiskinic died. They asked the two men pictured at what appears to be the hotel's front desk to come forward, but said they were not considered suspects. Police say they never tracked the two down.

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The coroner's report mentions footage from two different video cameras in the hotel's lobby showing a woman "walking from the hotel west lobby area and entering the elevator with two males who came from the front desk area". It says the video offers limited views but says the woman's clothing is consistent with the clothing Machiskinic was wearing when she was found. The report estimates Machiskinic entered the hotel at around 3:20 a.m. CST.

It also includes information from a witness who was staying on the tenth floor of the hotel, saying someone banged on his door while a fire alarm was going off early that morning. The fire alarm was reported at around 3:45 a.m. The hotel guest said he opened the door slightly and saw a woman who told him there was a fire. The report also says, "he saw two 'kids' behind her," and that he thanked the woman, closed the door, and called security. 

The report makes no further mention about anyone who may have been in contact with Machiskinic before her fall. She was found in the basement floor of the laundry area in the hotel at around 4 a.m.

Coroner recommends more security measures in hotel

The Coroner's report recommends tougher security measures at the hotel, including installing more video surveillance equipment and ensuring it's in working order, monitoring people who enter the hotel after hours, and conducting routine patrols to make sure doors are properly secured.