An inquest into the 2018 death in a Whitehorse jail of a man charged in a mail-bombing attack has determined he died of natural causes.

Leon Nepper, 73, was ruled to have died due to complications resulting from cardiovascular and lung disease.

He was being held at the Whitehorse Correctional Centre when he “was found to be in medical distress.”

The inquest jury issued four recommendations to better deal with seriously ill inmates at the correctional centre in the future.

These include improving the centre’s facilities to accommodate sick inmates and enhancing correctional officers’ medical response skills by offering more medical training.

Nepper died 10 days after being arrested for allegedly sending a mail-bomb to his younger brother, Roger, in Port Alice, B.C. – a remote village on the northern end of Vancouver Island.

The bomb resulted in serious injuries that included the loss of several fingers.

Roger Nepper’s wife, Shirley Bowick, also ended up with a few burns when the package exploded in the couple’s home.

His initial charges included possession of explosives and sending an explosive with intent to cause bodily harm, but charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault were added two days before his death.

Leon Nepper’s death left questions about the motives behind the attack unanswered.

The inquest into his death ran all last week as presiding coroner Matthew Brown and a jury heard testimony from witnesses and medical experts, and reviewed surveillance footage.

The jury’s decision was made last Friday.

According to a press release at the time of the death from chief coroner Heather Jones, Nepper was found in medical distress in his cell and was transported to Whitehorse General Hospital, where he was declared deceased.

The first recommendation calls for better documentation of whether people have signed “do not resuscitate (DNR)” or advanced directive orders.

If they have significant medical conditions and have not signed DNR, it is recommended a doctor follow up with the inmate.

The jury’s second recommendation is for correctional officers to have more opportunities for advanced training to further existing skill sets to better provide emergency intervention and response.

An example given is the need for more advanced airway management training.

The third recommendation calls for this specific scenario to be used in future emergency response training scenarios.

The final recommendation is for the correctional centre to evaluate their policies and facilities to determine their suitability for housing inmates with serious medical conditions, with the goal of improving the existing policies and facilities.