Toronto woman faces charge in death of four-year-old boy in Bowmanville

BOWMANVILLE, Ont. – A Toronto woman has been arrested in connection with the death of a four-year-old boy in Bowmanville, east of Oshawa, last summer.

Durham regional police say officers and emergency medical services were called to a Bowmanville residence on Aug. 28 after the boy, Terrel Vidal, was found without vital signs.

The boy was was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead and a post-mortem examination identified the cause of death as blunt force trauma.

Police had said at the time of his death, the boy was being cared for at the home of a family friend.

An investigation, aided by the coroner’s office and forensic pathology services has determined the boy’s death was not caused by an accident, slip or fall.

Tanya Berlass, 35, is facing a charge of failing to provide the necessaries of life.