A Vancouver Island woman who refused to accept that her daughter died of an accidental overdose is relieved the record has been set straight.

WednesdayTracy Sims received a report from the BC Coroners Service, which reclassified the death of her daughter, Samantha Sims-Somerville, as a homicide. The department initially ruled that she had accidentally overdosed on GHB – a date rape drug.

“When I read the report, the emotions I felt are very difficult to explain,” Sims told CTV News. “It was shock, it was relief, it was anger. It was like I was being told the news again.

Samantha died in 2021 after losing consciousness at a party in Victoria. She was 18 years old.

Sims is convinced her daughter was drugged and sexually assaulted. For three and a half years, she has been gathering evidence to prove it.

Some of the people at the party were convicted drug dealers, Sims said, and she has screenshots of texts saying Samantha and a friend, who survived, were drugged.

In March, the the coroner has reopened his investigation after new information emerges.

“A follow-up investigation revealed evidence that Samantha and her friend were intentionally given an uncontrolled substance, without their knowledge, by another person in the residence,” the coroner’s report states.

“The evidence supports that Samantha was intentionally given GHB by another person.”

Sims said she has lost faith in the justice system.

“How many deaths from overdoses or sexual assault will be classified as accidental? she said.

“How many more parents have to go through what I went through and face the system on their own instead of taking the time to grieve and accept the loss of their child?

Another police investigation?

Although the coroner’s reclassification brings Sims some peace, she said true justice would allow charges to be laid. VicPD said it was too early to say whether the case would be reopened.

“My only concern is that if the matter is re-investigated and it’s handled by the Victoria Police Service, it will all go wrong again because they did a terrible job the first time “Sims said.

The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner is investigating Sims’ allegation that VicPD’s investigation was inadequate. The department said it could not comment on an active OPCC case.

“This does not deprive Victoria Police of its duty under the Police Act to investigate crimes and to continue the investigation with any new evidence,” said Chris Lewis, public safety analyst. at CTV.

“That doesn’t mean they’re going to find out who gave the victim the drugs, unfortunately, but they need to at least find out what the coroner knows and do a more thorough investigation to try to put the case together.”

The Coroners Service noted that the term “homicide” does not imply fault or blame.

“Homicide means a death occurred as a result of someone’s action,” said Lewis, a former commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police. “If the intention was to kill, then that is murder and it is a criminal offense.”

Sims said that for now, she is done with her detective work.

“No one should ever have to go through what I went through and figure it out on their own,” she said. “I’ve done enough. Can anyone now pick up the pieces and continue to do their job? »