An Ottawa mother's legal bid to obtain her dead son's digital passwords made it over its first hurdle Tuesday.

Maureen Henry believes her son Dovi Henry's phone, email and social media accounts may hold information about where he was before he died.

Dovi's body was pulled from Lake Ontario at a marina near Ontario Place in Toronto on July 27, 2014, nearly two months after his family reported him missing to Toronto police.

His remains weren't identified at the time. But some 18 months later, his mother's amateur sleuthing located the University of Toronto student's body in a morgue.

Dovi Henry disappeared shortly after his 23rd birthday. (Dovi Henry/Facebook)

Henry believes there's more to the story of her son's death.

"The whole thing is out of character for Dovi," she said.

"I understand he was sad, but the whole notion that he would go jump in the lake is not something Dovi would have gone and done."

Henry is hoping a court order will force Apple, Google, Facebook and Bell to provide his passwords.

Justice Martin James said Tuesday morning he first thought the request was unusual, but said Henry's submission demonstrated how difficult it is for families to get information about a loved one's death.

James plans to issue a court order to give Henry access to her son's social media accounts.

It's not known whether the companies named in Henry's request will comply with the order.

Const. David Hopkinson, a spokesperson for Toronto police, told CBC Toronto the investigation into Dovi Henry's death is ongoing.