Nine days of witness and expert testimony regarding the 2013 death of Cynthia Blackjack wrapped up Thursday afternoon at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre.

Peter Chisholm, a territorial court judge presiding over the inquest, reviewed the evidence with jury members before charging them with the task of compiling their findings.

The jury heard from more than 20 witnesses and received hundreds of pages of documentation since the inquest began Jan. 20 in Carmacks.

These included the medical practitioners who cared for Blackjack as well as her friends and family. Expert witnesses in medicine, emergency evacuation procedure and systemic inequalities in the medical system also testified.

Witness testimony revealed that Blackjack had made two after-hours calls to the Carmacks health centre on Nov. 4 and 5, 2013 complaining of a toothache. On Nov. 6, Blackjack visited the health centre complaining of abdominal pain.

She was treated for gastritis and instructed to find a ride to Whitehorse General Hospital, or return to the health centre that evening. This was because Carmacks only has one ambulance.

On Nov. 7, Blackjack arrived at the health centre by ambulance in a worsened condition. She was medevaced to Whitehorse, where she suffered cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead.

It was ruled that her death was caused by multi-organ failure triggered by hyper acute liver failure. Expert testimony suggested the likely cause was acetaminophen (Tylenol) poisoning.

The inquest aims to investigate whether Blackjack died as a result of systemic racism in the health care system.

Questions were also raised about the use of colloquialisms potentially showing bias in Blackjack’s medical notes, such as describing her as “dramatic” and recently “on a bender”.

Several witnesses testified in Carmacks early last week that they have suffered discrimination while seeking medical care.

A close friend of Blackjack’s testified that Blackjack was weary of visiting the health centre the week of her death, because she believed the nursing staff would phone the police.

The medical practitioners who treated Blackjack testified that they provided medical care to her without bias.

Expert testimony revealed that liver failure triggered by Tylenol is extremely rare and, as such, difficult to diagnose.

The inquest is designed to determine the facts behind a death but not assign responsibility to any person nor agency.

The jury is sequestered today. Members must outline the details of Blackjack’s death, based on the testimony. They are also invited to develop a list of recommendations.

If the jurors feel a recommendation must be implemented urgently, they might also suggest a timeline.

The jury’s decisions don’t need to be made unanimously, but five of the six jurors must agree on each point.

Chisholm told the jury this morning that their recommendations must be “reasonable (and) practical.”

The jury members will deliberate for an indeterminate amount of time.