CALGARY – A tragic incident at a southwest Calgary dayhome is now under investigation by the Calgary Police Service.
Ryan McGrath’s 18-month-old daughter Ceira Lynn McGrath was rushed to hospital from a Silverado dayhome on Nov. 12. where she later died. Because her cause of death is undetermined, homicide detectives have taken over the investigation.
McGrath said he was told his daughter had been put in a car seat inside the dayhome because she was being fussy, and at some point either slipped down in the seat or became entangled in the strap and choked.
The grieving father and his common-law partner Tanya Gladwell had been bringing the young girl and her twin bother Colby to the dayhome since May 2014.
McGrath tells Global News that Ceira enjoyed Sesame Street, the Toronto Blue Jays and the song “Down by the Bay” by Raffi. He said she loved her brother Colby, and they would brush their teeth together and give each other goodnight kisses before bed.
He posted a statement to Facebook thanking everyone for their “support and kind words.”
“We are at a complete loss. We know now what happened to our perfect baby girl was preventable and caused by negligence. Which makes this all so much harder. Her little twin brother keeps asking for her and it’s breaking us and our hearts. We can only stay strong for him now,” said McGrath.
A funeral for the young girl will be held at McInnis and Holloway on Saturday, and a tree will be planted in her name at Fish Creek Provincial Park.
A gofundme site was created to offset the family’s funeral and other memorial costs. So far, it has raised over $30,000.
– With files from Jenna Freeman
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