I never access my BTC from my phone, but I do use online banking, so essentially I'm also at risk (online banking has a password protection, but I use the same for my BTC). The article doesn't say how it was with the phone. Perhaps the wallet was 'protected' by fingerprint, which could easily be done using an unconscious father? Or maybe he knew the password? Or do people store BTC in such quantities in a way that allowing accessing it simply by going to the wallet's app?
The man probably trusted his family, which is a really natural thing to do, though sometimes it turns out to be a mistake, like it clearly did in this here, as the son proved untrustworthy, unfortunately.
If a man trusted his family, he would give them access to his wallet. And then he would not have been poisoned by drugs, and he could have died.
Having a lot of money makes you a target primarily for your family and friends, so it is very important to keep this data secret.
Well, the man didn't trust his son for a good reason: his son's a drug addict and thus cannot control his financial behavior.