‘Why did they release him?’: Pilot’s family seeks answers in her death

Christina Thomson was a trailblazer in her personal and professional life. Her pursuit of a career as a commercial pilot started as a teenager, and her brother, previously a flight attendant, followed course.

“I didn’t want to be delivering my little sister a cup of coffee at some point on board a flight,” joked Ruarri Thomson.

He and his parents stayed in near-constant contact with Christina, following her many adventures from afar.

In late 2023, she told them she was going to Vancouver to speak with the Air Canada pilots, and that she’d call them when back home in Calgary.

“Of course, she never called back,” said Jean Thomson, Christina’s mother.

“It was definitely uncommon that she did not show up to her responsibility in Vancouver on the 8th of December,” added Ruarri.

On Dec. 15, 2023, Calgary police confirmed the Thomsons’ growing fears. Christina and Tom Howell, an ex-boyfriend visiting from the U.S., had been found dead in her Erlton home. Police said they had been there for some time, and have shared with the family that Christina was the victim of homicide.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Ruarri said he’d met 48-year-old Howell on a handful of occasions, but her parents hadn’t. He said Christina had ended the relationship in October.

Friends say Howell arrived in Calgary on Dec. 4th.

Days later, the family says, he overdosed and was taken to Rockyview General Hospital.

A summary of Howell’s visit to hospital, which the family says was found inside Thomson’s home, showed his admission to the hospital because of an “altered level of consciousness,” due, in part to an “intentional overdose.”

They say he was released the next day, just before 8 a.m. Shortly after, Thomson texted a roommate saying she was back at home with Howell, but that he was “still out of it.”

And then, both friends and family say all communication stopped.

“I want to know how he got from Rockyview into my sister’s care in 12 hours or less,” said Ruarri.

Alberta Health Services expressed sympathies to the Thomson family, but couldn’t comment on the specific case, citing privacy.

“When a person comes to one of our emergency departments, we do all we can to ensure that that person is safe, cared for, and treated with respect,” AHS said in a statement to Global News.

“Individuals are assessed by a triage nurse, and then a physician. If the physician believes the patient is at risk of suicide or harm, they can admit that patient. Patients are then discharged based on assessment by a physician.”

Police are still waiting for Howell’s toxicology report and can’t yet say how he died.  They said they aren’t seeking additional suspects in Thomson’s death, but do consider it a homicide.

Her family says the pilot’s death is a profound loss shared by thousands of colleagues and friends, many of whom have contributed to a memorial fund which has so far raised more than $120,000.

Family members say they hope the fund will help launch at least one other young woman to a career in aviation.

&© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.