An Edmonton man found dead in an alleyway next to the Northern Hotel in Fernie on Sunday died as a result of a tragic accident, the RCMP investigation has concluded.
Rhys Alexander Coppens, 20, died in the early hours of Sunday morning after apparently falling from the roof of the downtown bar.
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Following an autopsy on Tuesday, RCMP said they are no longer treating the death as suspicious.
“After extensive enquiries and interviews by the RCMP’s South East District Major Crime Unit and an autopsy, foul play is not suspected, “ Andy Veltmeyer told The Free Press.
“A Coroner’s service is continuing an investigation in parallel to the RCMP investigation.”
Veltmeyer said there had not been any witnesses to the accident, and a passer-by had found Coppens lying in the narrow alleyway next to The Northern Hotel at 2:25 a.m.
“Although Rhys had been part of a group at the Northern Hotel that night, he appears to have been alone at the time of the accident.”
Toxicology results, which would reveal the amount of alcohol in Rhys’ system at the time, have not yet been released and Veltmeyer said it would be the coroner’s decision whether or not they will be.
Veltmeyer said the police had interviewed many local residents and patrons of the Northern Hotel that night. “Our inquiries have been extensive,” he said.
He also said there would not be any further updates from the RCMP on the case.
Rhys Coppens was a former University of Alberta Golden Bears football star, who earned the nickname “Superman” for being seemingly invincible on the field, and was committed to playing for the University of Calgary Dinos this season.
"It’s just a shock," Dinos head coach Blake Nill told The Globe and Mail. "A couple of weeks ago I drove up to Edmonton to meet with him and his father. His dad was real excited about Rhys getting started in university. He was a great kid. There was so much potential there."
Coppens was found unconscious at about 2:30 a.m. on Sunday. The RCMP said he was suffering from severe injuries when he was driven by ambulance to the Elk Valley Hospital, where he died shortly after arriving.
Coppens was visiting Fernie on a snowboarding trip with his older brother, Jacques, and his best friend.
"I know that he was having fun when the accident happened, and that’s all that mattered to me," Jacques told CTV Edmonton.
"He was very humble. Although he was probably one of the best football players I’ve ever had the honour of playing with, he’d never tell you that.‚Äù
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