A voicemail repeats in Angelina Stamper’s mind. “Hey Mom, happy birthday, just calling again. Give me a call back.” Her son Sheldon left that message on Oct. 17, 2026. Six weeks later, the 28-year-old was found dead by suicide while admitted to the psychiatric ward at Chilliwack General Hospital.
Angelina and her family are living with grief and a pressing need for answers. They want to know what happened during Sheldon’s involuntary admission: who cared for him, how often staff checked on him, what medications he was given and why Fraser Health has refused—or delayed—access to his clinical records.
Questions about care during hospitalization
At the centre of the family’s concern are basic but urgent facts: which clinicians saw Sheldon, what treatments were attempted, and why his next of kin were blocked from full medical records. The family has asked for a clear timeline of clinical contacts and any medication changes during the admission. Without those documents, they say, it’s almost impossible to piece together a reliable account of his final days.
Angelina says Sheldon had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had survived several suicide attempts in 2026. She told investigators he was admitted under an involuntary order in September after what the family describes as his third attempt that year. According to the family, Sheldon repeatedly asked staff for changes in his treatment and to speak with clinicians, and at times went days without being checked on.
Hospital records provided to the family indicate Sheldon was last seen in his bed at about 8 a.m. on Nov. 29, 2026, and was discovered deceased in a bathroom at about 9:15 a.m. The family says staff only realized something was wrong when routine medication rounds found his bed empty. Those gaps in observation and delayed responses raise grave concerns about whether monitoring protocols were followed.
A dispute over records and communication
Angelina says she requested Sheldon’s health records to understand his clinical course and the circumstances of his death, but Fraser Health refused because she was not a legally appointed representative. The authority has said it has been in contact with the family and the care team, but Angelina disputes the timing and sufficiency of that communication, saying official responses arrived months after his death.
Being denied access to information has intensified the family’s distress. Angelina wants to see medication charts, clinical notes documenting her son’s requests and any notes about follow-up after staff last saw him. “What are they hiding?” she asks. “Why can’t I see what my son was on, what medications, what followed up to his death?”
Missing or incomplete records make independent review and accountability difficult. When documentation is patchy—if vital entries are absent or handovers unclear—investigators and regulators struggle to reconstruct decisions and timelines. Those kinds of lapses can prompt scrutiny from oversight bodies and complicate any legal or civil review.
Wider questions about psychiatric care and family rights
This case raises broader issues about how psychiatric wards manage involuntary patients, assess suicide risk and communicate with families. Clinicians must balance patient privacy with the family’s need for information when safety is at stake. In many jurisdictions, privacy rules and institutional policies can limit who may access medical records after a patient dies unless an executor or legal representative makes a formal request. The family says staff did not clearly explain those options to them.
Families in similar situations often describe the same frustrations: slow replies, inconsistent explanations from staff, and opaque procedures for requesting files. Delays and poor communication can leave relatives feeling shut out at a time when clarity is most needed.
Angelina and her family are living with grief and a pressing need for answers. They want to know what happened during Sheldon’s involuntary admission: who cared for him, how often staff checked on him, what medications he was given and why Fraser Health has refused—or delayed—access to his clinical records.0
Angelina and her family are living with grief and a pressing need for answers. They want to know what happened during Sheldon’s involuntary admission: who cared for him, how often staff checked on him, what medications he was given and why Fraser Health has refused—or delayed—access to his clinical records.1
Angelina and her family are living with grief and a pressing need for answers. They want to know what happened during Sheldon’s involuntary admission: who cared for him, how often staff checked on him, what medications he was given and why Fraser Health has refused—or delayed—access to his clinical records.2
Angelina and her family are living with grief and a pressing need for answers. They want to know what happened during Sheldon’s involuntary admission: who cared for him, how often staff checked on him, what medications he was given and why Fraser Health has refused—or delayed—access to his clinical records.3