Sister questions coroner’s report on Coldstream death

The B.C. Coroners Service says it will review one of its files after hearing concerns from a member of the public.

The sister of a missing Alberta man has been speaking out and questioning the findings of a recently released coroner’s report related to her brother’s disappearance.

In June 2015 , Shane Letkeman’s body was spotted in Kalamalka Lake by someone out paddle boarding. The 32-year-old Lethbridge man was believed to have been travelling with Curtis Wilson.

Wilson, who also hailed from Lethbridge, hasn’t been heard from since the day before Letkeman’s body was found in the water.

On Tuesday the coroner’s report into Letkeman’s death was released. It ruled Letkeman had drowned himself as part of a planned suicide pact.

Read More: Kalamalka Lake drowning part of planned suicide pact: coroner

“Mr. Letkeman and the other male sent messages to family and friends alluding to suicide, saying goodbye, and that they loved them,” wrote coroner Margaret Janzen in her report.

“Mr. Letkeman’s phone was broken but review of the other cell phone revealed messages between the two indicating their intention to kill themselves in a suicide pact.”

Curtis Wilson is never specifically named in the coroner’s report but his sister is clear her missing brother is the other man.

Shanna Wilson is raising questions about many aspects of the report including the fact that the coroner described Letkeman’s death as part of a planned suicide pact without seeing Curtis Wilson’s body.

“The thing is my brother’s body has not been found so…to say that there was a suicide pact between them when there was no written pact and they don’t have my brother’s body, I don’t think is fair,” Shanna Wilson said.

“For all they know it could be very, very obvious that something else happened to him but they don’t have his body to tell [whether that is the case.]”

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Shanna Wilson also feels many of the details in the report were not correct. She says the family didn’t get any goodbye messages from Curtis and other messages connected to the case were not clearly about suicide.

Read More: Kalamalka Lake death not suspicious but friend is missing

She said one message sent from Curtis to his girlfriend “could also be interpreted as though he is scared for his life. That was one single message. There was no goodbye messages.”

The coroners service says after hearing concerns from a member of the public it will review the file.

If it finds inaccuracies or new information that should be included, it will pursue having the file reopened and a new report issued.