IIO is Investigating a Death in Fernie (2026-160)

Case: 2026-160 Incident Date: June 20, 2026 Location: Fernie Detachment: Fernie Agency: RCMP Incident Classification: Death Case Status: Open - Investigation in Progress

INFORMATION BULLETIN
Independent Investigations Office
For Immediate Release

Surrey, B.C. — The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) is investigating the death of a man that occurred in Fernie this past July.

Preliminary information indicates that members of the Elk Valley RCMP were called on July 11, 2026, after a member of the public located an unresponsive man in the Elk River in Fernie.

Officers located the man, who was declared deceased.

It was later learned the man had previously been reported missing on June 20, 2026.

The BC Coroners Service reported the man’s death to the IIO on July 14. The IIO then confirmed the man had a previous interaction with police prior to being found deceased.

The IIO began an investigation at that point, which remains ongoing.

To date, IIO investigators have identified witnesses, collected evidence and conducted interviews.

They continue to analyze evidence and expect to conduct further interviews going forward.

There are two factors that the IIO considers at the beginning of each investigation:

  1. If there has been an injury that meets the threshold of serious harm, as defined by the Police Act, or a death; and
  2. If there is a connection between the serious harm/death and officer action or inaction.

If both conditions are met, the investigation will continue to examine all available evidence to determine what occurred. At the conclusion of the investigation, the chief civilian director will consider whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that an offence may have occurred.

The IIO asks that any witnesses who have information regarding this matter please contact the IIO Witness Line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.

Background

The IIO is the independent civilian oversight agency of officers and detention guards in British Columbia. It investigates all incidents involving officers or detention guards that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.
info@iiobc.ca

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