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In fact, Dionne never visited Missen’s residence. Police found Missen dead two days later, on Sept. 3, after a concerned neighbour called police.

Missen had suffered from asthma since birth, according to her sister, Brenda Missen, but was typically able to manage it without medical intervention.

“She had never called 911 before. So, if she was calling 911, it meant that it was very serious,” Brenda said.

Brenda believes a prompt response from emergency services could have saved her sister’s life.

OPP Supt. Robin McElary-Downer accepted a joint submission from Dionne’s lawyer and the lawyer representing Missen’s family, both of whom called for a two-year demotion to second-class constable.

While the OPP decision focuses on Dionne, Missen’s sister believes culpability goes beyond a single officer. A coroner’s inquest will examine Missen’s death as part of a larger inquest into the province’s 911 responses.

“I’m sure that my sister would not want any individuals blamed for her death,” said Brenda. “It was clearly a huge failure of the system. And so our focus has always been on having the system changed.”

People who could shed further light on the circumstances of Missen’s death declined to comment to the Citizen, including a lawyer for Dionne, an OPP spokesperson and the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

As the Missen family sought answers, Steven Dick, a friend of Missen’s who has been designated as a public complainant in the proceedings, and is acting as a representative for the family, filed a report about the response to the initial 911 call.