The family of Brigitte Stegemann, an 83-year-old Canadian grandmother, alleges she was euthanized under Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying program against her will and without valid consent. Stegemann died on July 10 at The Pearl long-term care home in Cannifton, Ontario.

Her granddaughter, Brigitte Kranendonk, who held power of attorney for personal care and had served as primary caregiver for 12 years, filed complaints with Ontario's Chief Coroner and Patient Ombudsman in August. Belleville Police confirmed this week that the matter is under investigation by the Criminal Investigations Division.

Stegemann had been diagnosed with untreatable Stage IV stomach cancer about five months earlier. Family members say she explicitly refused MAID on multiple occasions due to her Christian faith and desire for a natural death. They claim staff at the care facility restarted discussions about the procedure while Kranendonk was on vacation and without notifying her.

During capacity assessments on July 6 and 7, Stegemann reportedly failed to answer basic questions correctly, including stating she had no siblings when she had 13, two of whom were alive. Kranendonk alleges the assessments occurred amid Stegemann's cognitive impairment, severe hearing loss, and periods of unresponsiveness.

Two days before the procedure, Kranendonk said she directly asked her grandmother if she understood she would die on Friday. Stegemann reportedly cried for 45 minutes and repeatedly said she had made a mistake. On the morning of July 10, family members say Stegemann gave no verbal or physical confirmation of consent when asked about receiving "medicine." She remained silent with her hands clasped in what relatives described as a prayer position.

Kranendonk claims the nurse began inserting the IV without confirming consent and struggled to find a vein, resulting in significant bleeding on the bed and floor. Stegemann was pronounced dead within about 10 minutes. The family also alleges the MAID paperwork was completed after the procedure had been scheduled and that the date was advanced without their input.

Neither The Pearl care home nor the clinicians involved have publicly responded to the allegations. The facility has declined to release Stegemann's medical records to the family, according to Kranendonk.

Canada's MAID program has expanded significantly since legalization, raising ongoing questions about safeguards for vulnerable patients, including those with cognitive decline or religious objections. The family maintains that proper consent procedures were not followed and that Stegemann lacked the capacity to make such a decision independently.

Investigations by police, the coroner's office, and the patient ombudsman are ongoing.