A Vancouver Island woman who refused to accept 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 service initially ruled that she had accidentally overdosed on GHB – a date-rape drug.

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

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

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

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

In March, the the coroner reopened his inquest after new information came to light.

“Further investigation revealed evidence that Samantha and her friend were intentionally given an unregulated substance without their knowledge by another person at the residence,” the medical examiner’s report states.

“The evidence suggests that Samantha was intentionally supplied with GHB by another person.”

Sims said he has lost faith in the justice system.

“How many deaths that are overdoses or sexual assaults will be classified as accidental?” she said.

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

Another police investigation?

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

“My only concern is that if it’s re-investigated and it’s by the Victoria Police Department, it’s going to go wrong again because they did a terrible job the first time,” Sims said.

The Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner is investigating Sims’ claim that the VicPD investigation was inadequate. The department said it could not comment on an active OPCC file.

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

“It doesn’t mean they’re going to find out who gave the victim the drugs, unfortunately, but at least they need to find out what the coroner knows and conduct further investigation to try and piece together the case.”

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

“Homicide means that there was a death as a result of someone’s action,” said Lewis, a former Ontario provincial police commissioner. “If the intent was to kill, then that’s murder and that’s a felony.”

Sims said he’s done detective work for now.

“Nobody should have to go through what I went through and figure it out on their own,” she said. “I’ve done enough. Can someone pick up the pieces and go ahead and do their job?”