'Flawed from the very beginning': Retired B.C. coroner blasts handling of 2016 death investigation
'Flawed from the very beginning': Retired B.C. coroner blasts handling of 2016 death investigation
A retiree who spent years investigating deaths for the BC Coroner's Service has sent the agency a scathing letter over its handling of the suspicious death of a woman whose body was recovered from Okanagan Lake in 2016.
RCMP recovered Arlene Westervelt's body in June, one day after her husband Bert Westervelt reported that she had drowned after their canoe tipped on a day trip.
Police initially called the death a tragic accident but Arlene's sister Debbie Hennig said she suspected there was more to the story right from the start.
"The very people that I thought were going to help me have failed me," Hennig said in an interview with CTV News.
Within days of the body being discovered, BCCS released it without conducting an autopsy.
"Any kind of water-related drowning fatal should be autopsied. There should be no question," said Maureen Wint, who retired from the BCCS in 2004.
Wednesday, Wint sent her letter to Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe and cc'd Premier David Eby and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth.
"The original investigation by the BCCS was flawed from the very beginning," Wint wrote before calling for an inquest into Arlene's death.
Police did eventually launch a homicide investigation into the death and in April 2019 Bert was charged with second-degree murder.
Just 15 months later, citing new evidence that reduced the likelihood of a conviction, the Crown stayed the charge.
Bert has always maintained his innocence.
BCCS did eventually conduct an autopsy, but not before Arlene Westervelt's body had already been embalmed, possibly compromising some of the evidence.
“The anatomical findings at autopsy could not confirm or rule out death by drowning," the coroner's report concluded.
"I therefor classify the manner of death as undetermined and make no recommendations.”
'NO ACCOUNTABILITY, NO CLOSURE'
Wint believes an inquest is the only way to get all the facts in the case into the public record so Arlene's family can fully understand the circumstances surrounding her death.
"At least in an inquest, people would be in a situation to testify and tell the truth and maybe they could get some really good things out of that," she said.
In April, the BCCS re-opened the investigation into Arlene Westervelt's death, but without a full inquest or a separate investigation by an outside forensic pathologist, Hennig is not confident justice will be done.
"There is no accountability. There's no transparency. There's no answers. There's no closure," she said.
Hennig said the lack of answers about what actually happened to her sister makes the holidays especially hard every year.
"You know this is the seventh Christmas that I've put up my Christmas tree without Arlene," she sobbed.
Citing the ongoing investigation, the BC Coroner's Service declined to comment for this story.
The federal government is seeking to delay the extension of assisted dying eligibility to people whose sole condition is a mental disorder until March 17, 2024. Justice Minister David Lametti introduced a bill seeking the extension in the House of Commons on Thursday.
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
Will we see six more weeks of winter, or an early spring? Here’s what some of the groundhogs (and one human) have predicted so far, from coast-to-coast.
Nestle Canada says it is winding down its frozen meals and pizza business in Canada over the next six months. The four brands that will no longer be sold in the freezer aisle at Canadian grocery stores are Delissio, Stouffer's, Lean Cuisine and Life Cuisine.
The United States has answered President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's plea for rockets that can strike deep behind the front lines of the nearly year-long conflict with Russia. Now Russian forces will need to adapt or face potentially catastrophic losses.
Australia is removing the monarchy from its bank notes. The nation's new $5 bill will feature an Indigenous design rather than an image of King Charles III. But the king is still expected to appear on coins that currently bear the image of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The organization regulating medical care and services in Manitoba is apologizing for racism directed towards Indigenous people when accessing health care in the province.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
A pair of provincial parks are being considered in the B.C. government's treaty negotiations with the T’Sou-ke and Songhees nations on Vancouver Island.
A homicide investigation is underway on Quadra Island, B.C., after a 39-year old woman was found dead in what investigators believe was a targeted killing.
Calgary's Scotiabank Saddledome was packed to the rafters with fans eager to take a look at Canadian phenom Connor Bedard and the 17-year-old did not fail to impress.
Athabasca University's board of governors has replaced the president who resisted the government's demand to double the distance-learning school's number of employees who live in Athabasca.
A large crowd of around 700 students, faculty members and Lethbridge residents came out on Wednesday to protest a planned speech by Frances Widdowson at the University of Lethbridge that didn't take place.
Ontario has released a new 'connected' and 'convenient' health-care plan aimed at shortening wait times and localizing access to care across the province.
Three Richmond Hill residents have been arrested after police seized $500,000 in fake gift cards from a “sophisticated forgery lab” while searching multiple local properties last month.
A polar vortex is descending over Ontario this week and some of the coldest weather is still to come. Wind chills will also reach dangerous levels, increasing the risk of frostbite.
The next few nights are expected to be frigid in Montreal, with wind chill factors dropping to -30. In order to prevent anyone experiencing homelessness from ending up outdoors, the City of Montreal is announcing the opening of two emergency shelters.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
The federal government is seeking to delay the extension of assisted dying eligibility to people whose sole condition is a mental disorder until March 17, 2024. Justice Minister David Lametti introduced a bill seeking the extension in the House of Commons on Thursday.
A former professional hockey player well-known for dropping the gloves is trying his hand at acting and will star in another season of the Canadian sitcom Shoresy.
Paramedic logs from 2022 are highlighting some of the pressures Regina EMS workers have been facing for months including one instance where a patient died following offload delays at the hospital, the documents indicate.
On the day that Shubenacadie Sam predicted six more weeks of winter, there are warnings and statements cautioning that the coldest air of the season is about to arrive in the Maritimes.
One person has died after a two-vehicle crash in south London Wednesday night. Police were called to the scene on Bostwick Road around 7:20 p.m. and say there were five people injured in total and all five were taken to the hospital with injuries ranging from serious to life-threatening.
Wiarton Willie has predicted an early spring! The groundhog in South Bruce Peninsula didn't see his shadow at 8:07 a.m. on Thursday morning, meaning spring is on the way.
Highway 11 in northern Ontario is closed Thursday morning from Highway 66 near Kenogami Lake to Matheson after a collision involving several vehicles, police say.
Wiarton Willie made his prediction his spring prediction Thursday morning at 8:07 a.m. The groundhog did not see his shadow, meaning we could get an early spring.
