Now, Candice and her family in Calgary are seeking answers about how authorities failed to notify them when Courtney Wheeler died in December 2021 and was buried the following month. “There was nobody there, no flowers … and that just means nobody cared,” Wheeler, 36, said. “She was well loved and deserved better.” Courtney Wheeler’s family want to know why they weren’t notified before she was buried in January this year. (Submitted by Candice Wheeler) In most cases, when a person dies unidentified or unclaimed, the chief medical examiner’s office can locate and trace their next of kin within hours, the province says. Otherwise, the province says the office will continue the investigation until all efforts are “exhausted.” But the Wheelers say they didn’t learn about Courtney’s death until months after it happened, and even then, they didn’t get the news from officials. Instead, they learned of her passing through social media. This left them wondering how diligent the search for Courtney’s next of kin really was. Chrissy Wheeler said the unanswered questions surrounding her sister’s death have made it difficult to find closure. (Paula Duhatschek/CBC) It’s especially concerning, they say, as it appears to be the second such case in Calgary in just a few months. In February, Tara Niptanatiak died and was buried in the town the following month, unbeknownst to her family in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. “Who allows this to happen?” said Chrissy Wheeler, 44, who is Courtney’s older sister.

The family learned of the death via Facebook

When Candice Wheeler first learned of Courtney’s death, it had been months since she had last heard from her middle sister. This was not unprecedented. In the years leading up to her death, Courtney struggled with homelessness and escalating addiction and was known to drop off the map for weeks or even months before resurfacing. But in late May, Candice received a Facebook message from a friend of Courtney’s who had learned of her death after another friend stumbled upon a brief online obituary, posted by the funeral home that arranged the burial. Candice Wheeler, whose family is part of the Cumberland House Cree Nation, believes authorities may have been more relaxed in their search for her sister because she was Indigenous. (Paula Duhatschek/CBC) Concerned, Candice called the police’s non-emergency number. She was taken to the chief medical examiner’s office, who confirmed her sister’s death. Candice said she was told by Courtney and a friend that they were apparently smoking when they both fell asleep. The friend woke up. Courtney didn’t. Candice said she was also told there was a month-long search for Courtney’s next of kin before her case was turned over to the public guardian and commissioner’s office. This office works with local funeral homes to arrange burials for those whose families cannot be found. But the Wheelers say they shouldn’t have been so hard to find.

“Someone unknown found us,” so why didn’t the officials?

Candice, Chrissy and their mother, Marie, all have a last name. They live in the same city and haven’t moved or changed phone numbers in years. Candice believes the police would have her information on file from a previous missing persons report she filed for her sister in 2019. (At the time, Courtney was located shortly after). Courtney was known to addiction treatment facilities in Calgary who would have Marie’s information on file as a family contact. All three women were also listed on Courtney’s Facebook page as her family, which is how Courtney’s friend got them in the first place.
“Some stranger we don’t even know found us to let us know he died,” Chrissy said. “If a stranger could find us, why didn’t the police or anyone else [is in charge]?” In response to questions from CBC Calgary, the Calgary Police Service said it could not comment on specific, non-criminal cases due to privacy laws. The agency said when deaths are followed up by Calgary police, it’s generally the responsibility of the chief medical examiner’s office to identify and identify next of kin, with the help of police and other organizations. Courtney Wheeler, right, is pictured with her mother, Marie. (Submitted by Candice Wheeler) Privacy laws also restrict the office of the chief medical examiner and the office of the public guardian and commissioner from disclosing information about specific cases to the media, according to the Department of Justice and the Solicitor General. In a statement, a spokesman said the coroner’s office will work with police, RCMP, government and non-government organizations to locate their relatives and will search until all efforts are “exhausted.” “Unfortunately, it is sometimes not always possible to locate family members in a timely manner, particularly if the deceased has no identification, there is family estrangement, names have been changed or the family lives in other jurisdictions in Canada or internationally,” the spokesperson said. Kathryn Thompson. Thompson said the ministry is looking at ways to improve the next of kin tracing process, including entering into agreements with other Canadian jurisdictions. Courtney Wheeler is pictured in childhood family photos. (Submitted by Candice Wheeler)

“Somebody Cares”

The Wheelers say the province’s process for finding next of kin sounds good. They just don’t believe it was followed in their case. And while the family hopes to learn more about how the search unfolded and why authorities have been unable to find them, they suspect they may already know. Candice Wheeler believes Courtney was stereotyped as a homeless Indigenous woman and authorities were lax because they assumed no one cared about her. “Actually, someone did and cares,” he said. “We want to make sure they know that now.” They hope that by sharing their story, they can prevent this situation from happening again. Candice noted that the problem is not limited to Alberta. in 2020, a man from Toronto named Seth MacLean he died of an overdose in a shelter and was buried in nearby Pickering while his family frantically searched for him. “It happens too much. Families are deprived of the opportunity to say goodbye to a loved one,” Candice said. Since learning of Courtney’s death, the Wheelers have held a small memorial service to say goodbye. It helped somewhat, but they say there is still a lot of pain. “It’s hard to move normally through grief when you have all these unanswered questions,” Chrissy said. Growing up, Courtney Wheeler loved riding horses at her aunt’s ranch. (Submitted by Candice Wheeler)