Investigation into B.C. woman's drowning reopened by coroner after charges against husband stayed

The investigation into the drowning death of a British Columbia woman has been reopened by the province's chief coroner nearly a year after a stay of charges against her husband expired.

A spokesperson for Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe confirmed to CTV News Thursday that she has directed the investigation to be reopened.

"The Coroners Act permits the chief coroner to reopen an investigation if new evidence arises or if the chief coroner considers it would be in the public interest. In this case, the chief coroner has determined that it is in the public interest for another coroner to undertake a new investigation to include any new or additional information that may assist the public's understanding of Arlene Westervelt's death," the spokesperson said in an email.

It's unclear what will come of the reopening of the investigation, but its purpose is to determine the facts surrounding the death, including how and by what means it occurred.

These investigations do not determine fault or assign blame.

Arlene died in June 2016 while on a canoe trip with her husband, Bert.

Bert told police that Arlene drowned when the couple's canoe capsized on Lake Okanagan. He was charged with second-degree murder in the case, but that charge was stayed when new evidence came to light that reduced the likelihood of his conviction, the Crown said previously.

Bert has always maintained his innocence.

That stay expired last summer, prompting fears from the family that the case may never make it to court.

On the fifth anniversary of Arlene's death, her family called for an inquest into the investigation. Her sister said at the time that she'd "begged" for an autopsy, "but the coroner said there would not be an autopsy because this was an accidental drowning."

A coroners' report released in 2020 said the woman's body showed signs of possible strangulation, but that her cause of death remained undetermined. According to her family, her body was embalmed before an autopsy was performed.

The B.C. Prosecution Service said the investigation into Arlene's death remains open, and none of the allegations has been proven in court.

In a statement about the coroner's investigation, Arlene's sister said her family was informed in a letter from Lapointe that it would be re-opened.

Debbie Hennig quoted Lapointe as saying the purpose of the investigation is to "ensure that the Coroners Service has done all it can with respect to determining the circumstances of your sister's death."

Hennig said she was told the coroner assigned is Carolyn Maxwell, a decision she was critical of in her statement to media as Maxwell too is part of the B.C. Coroner's Service. She said she believes this means the review will not be independent from the investigation conducted years ago. The family has requested an independent review.

"I'm afraid an internal review is meaningless as it cannot independently address questions surrounding various acts and omissions by the B.C. Coroner's Service," she said in an emailed statement Thursday.

The family has suggested the review be conducted by an anatomical forensic pathologist who works somewhere other than B.C.