I flew the Caravan for 2 yrs and don't seem to remember it having an autofeather. It was about 5yrs ago so maybe someone a bit more current can confirm this.
I thought it was a great plane to fly although I have to agree with the earlier comment about not flying it in any kind of freezing precip (rain, drizzle) It would handle a bit of ice but you had to know the limits of the aircraft. When I was at Flight Safety I met a grizzly old guy who's instructions on using the deice were to wait till you had lost 10 knots then blow the boots and you'll get 8 knots back. You can see that eventually you're going to be out of knots!!! Where I flew we always had a portable deicing pack that we used to get rid of any ice that was left over from the flight in or that had accumulated while on the ground. It was simply a big garden sprayer that had glycol in it. Very simple but effective. A real godsend when operating into the remote communities that we frequented.
I think one of the biggest problems with the C-208 is that its quite often a pilots first IFR captain seat and quite often single pilot at that. This usually brings a lower experience level. There is alot of pressure to get the job done and unfortunately when you are a little green and in command for the first time you don't always have the confidence to say no. Its sad but its true.
My condolences to those that lost a loved one.