After debugging a codeigniter app that were installed into a new development environment, I have started to freak out when seeing white screens with nothing more available.
Have you by chance happen to create a cached output for that particular method inside your controller. Because if so, then it may create a cached version of the page and practically that page is not even running. The cached error output page is showing up. Please check your cache folder inside the application. It should only contain the index.html file.