The family of Reese Coppens are left with empty rooms, memories and questions about what happened that fateful day.
20-year-old Coppens, a popular high school football coach and star player was found unconscious last March in an alley behind Bulldog’s, a Downtown Fernie bar.
It was first believed that he had fallen from the roof of the building, but a B.C. coroner says that his injuries are not consistent with a fall. The coroner said that he sustained no broken bones nor any trauma to his head – both would be sustained in a fall.
The autopsy shows that he died from a blocked airway after being knocked unconscious. How that occurred remains a mystery.
The RCMP have been forced to close the case because there are no witnesses and no information to go on.
Reese’s family, however, isn’t satisfied with that result. "He died in an alley. I would just like to know why," Reese’s mother Marlene said.
They want to know what really happened and are appealing to the public for answers. "Anybody who saw him that night, who might have information, no matter how small… please call police." (250) 425-6233
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