A Manitoba woman who abused and killed her daughter in one of the province’s most notorious crimes has been granted temporary escorted absences from prison.
The Parole Board of Canada says it’s allowing Samantha Kematch short visits with some relatives and an Indigenous elder to an undisclosed community for personal development.
Kematch and her then-boyfriend, Karl McKay, were convicted of first-degree murder in 2008 and sentenced to life in prison for killing Kematch’s five-year-old daughter, Phoenix Sinclair.
The trial heard Phoenix was subjected to repeated abuse and often confined to an unfinished basement in the family’s home.
After a final, deadly beating, Kematch and McKay buried the girl’s body but told social workers the child was still alive.
A recent parole board report says Kematch has taken part in other escorted temporary absences for medical and personal development without any issues.