Mother of Late Teen Actor Logan Williams Says BC Children’s Ministry Failed Her Son – BC | The Canadian News

The mother of late teen actor Logan Williams says British Columbia’s children’s ministry failed her son.

Williams died of a fentanyl overdose in April 2020 while in the care of the BC Ministry of Child and Family Development (MCFD), just days before his 17th birthday.

“He told me, ‘I’m going to clean up, Mom, and I love you and, you’ll see, I’m going to help so many people,’” said mother Marlyse Williams.

Williams was best known for playing the younger version of DC’s titular superhero Barry Allen on The CW’s. The flash, who often films in Burnaby. He also had minor roles in series like Supernatural and When it calls to the heart.

The 16-year-old struggled with a traumatic past that led him down the dark path of drug addiction.

The coroner’s report said that as Williams aged, he had mental health problems and “had a history of using illicit substances.”

In 2019, he was placed in the care of the Ministry of Child and Family Development. The coroner’s report said Williams received support services, including residential treatment, but “often refused to participate.”

On February 26, 2020, Williams suffered a drug overdose that resulted in a severe brain injury.

Williams said he wanted treatment and was released from the hospital on March 11 to a specialized facility, according to the coroner’s report.

The teenager eventually ended up in a group home where he died on April 2, 2020.

“I begged them to call the ambulance,” Marlyse said. “If they had done the checks, if they had originally called the ambulance like they were supposed to, it could have saved my son’s life.”

The coroner’s report indicates that staff conducted hourly checks on Williams, but there is no record of this in freedom of information documents that had multiple pages missing or blacked out.

Marlyse presented her case to the chief coroner for a public investigation, but her request was denied.

“I’m livid,” she said. “I mean, how can the general public not be interested in young people dying from fentanyl poisoning?”

The forensic service says an inquest is not superior to a coroner’s investigation, which was conducted in this case and is now being reviewed by the BC Representative for Children and Youth.

MCFD says it cannot comment, citing legal reasons.

Marlyse says she is fighting for independent oversight of MCFD in an effort to bring about change as BC’s increasingly toxic illicit drug supply continues to claim young lives.

“Logan was a blessing in my life, and he was a fighter and even in his death, he is fighting.”

– With files from Rumina Daya and Amy Judd