Nearly a year after a toddler was found dead on the property of a daycare near Cobourg, Ont., provincial police say their investigation continues.
On Friday morning, Northumberland OPP briefly stated the investigation into the death of a girl on May 25, 2023, is “ongoing.” No other details were provided.
OPP have declined interviews with Global News for an update on the incident at the “Watch Me Grow Day Care,” located in the hamlet of Baltimore, in Hamilton Township, just a few kilometres north of Cobourg.
On that day, police confirmed a child was reported missing “from an address in Hamilton Township” at 5:17 p.m. and that “the child was subsequently located deceased at the address.”
Witnesses reported emergency crews searched the wooded area around the daycare and eventually found what appeared to be a septic tank with the girl inside. A day later police confirmed the child’s death, but no specific details were provided.
Family, including the girl’s parents, have identified the toddler as two-year-old Vienna Rose Irwin. A GoFundMe campaign to support the family raised over $130,000.
The girls’ parents have declined multiple requests for interviews. Vienna’s mother, Claire, has been advocating on her social media accounts, often posting videos and images of her daughter. Many of her posts state she demands “answers and accountability” for Vienna’s death.
“She deserves that at the very least,” an Instagram post on April 25 states. “She was only 2. Left in the care of people we thought we could trust, but now is very obvious they didn’t care at all.”
OPP say their investigation continues under the direction of OPP’s criminal investigation branch and in conjunction with the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario.
“The OPP would like to reassure the community that the investigation is ongoing, and we remain committed to completing a detailed and thorough investigation into the details surrounding this death,” OPP stated Friday morning.
“In order to protect the integrity of this investigation, no further information or details can be shared at this time.”