A recent confession has raised serious questions about the B.C. Coroners Service's handling of two deaths ruled accidental. David Creamer was shot dead in his home in Kimberley on February 6, 2022. His daughter, Taylor Creamer, spent over three years fearing that the killer would evade justice.

The case took a turn when Mitchell McIntyre, a former friend of Creamer, confessed to the murder in court last month. Taylor Creamer expressed her relief but also her frustration with the initial investigation. She noted that her father, a healthy 69-year-old, was said to have died from a fall, a conclusion reached by a coroner who did not visit the scene. "They told us he had fallen and hit his head. It wasn’t really adding up because he was on the couch. And if he had fallen, why was he on the couch?" she said.

On the same day, McIntyre also killed Julia Howe, his landlord’s partner, in Creston, about 90 minutes away. Howe's death was similarly ruled accidental by the same coroner. It was only after an autopsy that a .22-caliber bullet wound was discovered in her skull.

In the days following the murders, McIntyre reportedly told hospital staff that he had killed a man named David "Creamly" in Kimberley. By that time, Creamer’s body had already been cremated, leaving no evidence for further investigation.

After McIntyre's trial for Howe's murder ended with a guilty plea on June 9, he was charged with murder and firearm offenses in Creamer’s death. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter on August 22 and is scheduled for sentencing next month.

Taylor Creamer, now 32, questioned how both deaths could be ruled accidental. "It does feel like a broken justice system. You trust the professionals, but then you realize they screwed up," she said.

Concerns about the B.C. Coroners Service have been echoed by Dr. John Butt, a retired forensic pathologist who previously served as chief coroner in Alberta and Nova Scotia. He criticized the practice of employing non-doctors as coroners, arguing that it can lead to significant errors in determining causes of death. "Doctors are being forced to sign death certificates with incomplete information coming from these half-assed coroners," he stated.

Butt highlighted that B.C. is one of the few provinces still using community coroners instead of trained medical examiners. He believes this outdated system can result in serious oversights, as seen in the cases of Creamer and Howe.

The B.C. Coroners Service has not commented on the specific cases, stating that investigations are ongoing. Spokeswoman Holly Tally noted that the Chief Coroner, Dr. Jatinder Baidwan, will determine if reports will be released to the public.

Taylor Creamer has not been contacted by the coroner’s service and feels that there should be accountability for how her father's case was handled. She plans to wait until after the sentencing hearing before deciding on further actions.

Kash Heed, a former solicitor general, has called for an independent review of the coroner's handling of these cases. Kim Rossmo, a criminology professor, emphasized the need for proper training for coroners, stating, "You’re only going to be as good as your training, and it should be continuing."

The B.C. Coroners Service is tasked with investigating unnatural, sudden, and unexplained deaths, aiming to improve public safety and prevent similar incidents in the future.