Nothing can bring Sheila Fyles’ son back, but she is continuing to fight for answers and change for the future.
After Cpl. Stuart Langridge hanged himself on March 15, 2008, the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service launched three investigations that were botched from the start.
A report released Tuesday by the Military Police Complaints Commission outlines the series of mistakes made by the CFNIS following Langridge’s death.
One of these mistakes was withholding a suicide note from Langridge’s parents for 14 months, for reasons that still have yet to be explained.
The note, addressed to the Fyles, contained a special request for a private, family funeral as opposed to a military one.
Instead, the Fyles were kept in the dark and were not allowed control over funeral arrangements.
Canadian Forces Provost Marshal Rob Delaney said in a statement that mistakes were made in the investigation and that he is committed to learning from those mistakes.
Yet there are still no answers to why these mistakes happened, and why it has taken this long to recognize them.
Shaun and Sheila Fyles are two grieving parents that were caught in the middle of a bureaucratic mess.
Sheila has made it clear that she is willing to meet with Defence Minister Jason Kenney to discuss changes that need to be made in non-combat deaths.
She has been fighting this battle for seven years now, and the government would be remiss if it did not use her knowledge and experience to improve the system.
It is time to take action and implement solutions.