VPD to prepare report on how families are notified when loved one dies

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Vancouver police are preparing a report about how its officers notify families when a loved one dies after three sisters learned their mother died of an overdose three years after it happened.

On Thursday, the police board deferred discussion about VPD’s next-of-kin notification policy until its November meeting when the report is expected to be complete.

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Sheri-lee Campbell filed a complaint with the police board hoping to change a policy that resulted in VPD failing to notify her family after her mother’s body was found in a scorched apartment unit in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside in July 2020.

“Just because she lived on the street didn’t mean she didn’t have a family that loved her,” she told Postmedia this week.

A man at the scene told police he knew the victim’s name, claiming to be her half-brother. He later cut off contact. As a result, Lorraine Campbell was cremated and buried in an unmarked grave in Surrey a few months after her death.

At several points after police failed to notify family, other government bodies, including the coroner and the provincial public guardian, could have easily determined the names of her children using government records, said Sheri-lee. But no one contact them.

Campbell said she had hoped the police board would force VPD to update its policies to ensure officers have appropriate training, as well as access to government records, to assist in finding family. She also wants a special officer appointed to ensure “every effort” is made in cases involving vulnerable victims who may be estranged from their families.

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In deferring the matter to November, the police board made no comment on the case.

Campbell’s sister, Dawn, has filed a lawsuit against the City of Vancouver alleging VPD officers owe “a duty of care when investigating a death to make all reasonable efforts to notify the next of kin.” She claims officers took a casual approach to their investigation, taking the word of a “random” person and halting their inquiries because her mother was a “street person.” As a result, she has suffered anxiety, depression and mental suffering.

In its response to the civil claim, the city said Campbell’s claim “failed to set out the material facts essential to properly plead a cause of action against city for the negligent infliction of mental distress and nervous shock.”

Dawn told Postmedia she is seeking accountability, and to ensure the system is fixed.

“We always knew she could die,” she said. “We lived in expectation of a call from the hospital, or a call to say she had overdosed. But when they said she died, and that it was three years ago, that killed me.”

In a similar case last year, an Alberta father whose son died of an overdose in Victoria found out eight months later through an online obituary.

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In January 2023, after failing to reach his son to wish him happy birthday, Glen Grier went online to look for information. Instead of an address, he found an obituary.

Scott Grier, 35, had died from an overdose eight months earlier in Victoria. He had been cremated and buried. His father and mother, as well as his seven-year-old daughter Octavia, who lives in Stony Plain, Alberta with her grandparents, had no idea.

Like the Campbell family, Scott’s family was listed in several B.C. records. In 2020, Glen was worried about Scott after he hadn’t had contact in a few months. He filed a missing person report with Victoria police, who notified him when his son was found safe.

But when Scott collapsed on the street in May 2022 and couldn’t be revived, no one contacted him to say he had died.

“Glen’s been on every single file in his life. Whenever there was trouble or he ended up in hospital, Scott would give the doctors Glen’s name and number and say: ‘You can tell my Dad anything,’” Glen’s wife Michelle told the Victoria Times Colonist in 2023. “We’ve had the same phone number for 30 years.”

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On Thursday, Glen told Postmedia the family has heard from several people in B.C. and Alberta who have had a similar experience after the death of their loved one.

“It’s not a new thing,” he said. “It’s surprising how many people fall through the cracks.”

He remembers speaking to a mother who learned of her son’s death after a friend called her with condolences.

In his case, the family received an apology from Victoria police and then decided to let it go.

“We take care of his daughter now, and I didn’t think we wanted to drag things along. She’s seen and heard enough in her lifetime,” said Glen.

In response to Postmedia questions about the Campbell case, the B.C. Coroners Service said it has reviewed its processes and added extra steps to increase the likelihood of locating next of kin in similar situations in the future.

The coroners service clarified Lorraine Campbell died of “mixed illicit, prescription, and over-the-counter drug toxicity,” with heart disease as a possible contributing factor.

In a statement, the B.C. Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction said identity of the deceased and notification of next of kin is the responsibility of law enforcement. If next of kin cannot be contacted, a referral is made to the public guardian to see if they are aware of next of kin. The ministry becomes involved if there is no next of kin and no estate to be managed.

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“Before (the ministry) proceeds as legal representative, (it) will contact the original referring agency (such as the trustee, coroner, or police) to confirm if the next of kin has come forward or been notified. If the next of kin cannot be contacted or is unwilling to give instructions, then the ministry will arrange and fund funeral services as the legal representative,” said the statement.

gluymes@postmedia.com

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