TORONTO — Police have charged two women in connection with the 2013 death of two-year-old Eva Ravikovich at an unlicensed daycare in Vaughan.
Ravikovich was found dead at a daycare on Yellowood Circle on July 8, 2013.
READ MORE: Ontario government to face trial in lawsuit over toddler’s death, judge rules
On Tuesday, York Regional Police arrested and charged the owners and operators of the unlicensed daycare in Vaughan.
Olena Panfilova, 49, and Karina Rabadanova, 26, both of Vaughan, have been charged with interfering with an ongoing police investigation and destroying evidence.
The women were released from police custody and are scheduled to appear in court in Newmarket on Nov. 12.
WATCH: May 26, 2015. Two-year-old Eva Ravikovich died in illegal, unlicensed daycare in 2013. Mark Carcasole reports.
Details of poor sanitation at the unlicensed daycare emerged in Sept. 2013, with media reports detailing listeria bacteria in chicken stew, cooked grains and deli meats at the unregulated location.
Ravikovich’s parents launched a $3.5-million lawsuit in 2013 against the Ministry of Education and the owners and operators of the daycare.
READ MORE: Ontario ministry failed to follow up on 25 complaints about unlicensed daycares
They allege – in claims that have yet to be tested in court – that the ministry took no steps to ensure Eva’s safety despite having received four complaints that claimed the daycare was overcrowded.
In May, an Ontario judge ruled that the provincial government must face trial in the lawsuit.
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READ MORE: Listeria and poor sanitation discovered at Ontario daycare where toddler died
Court documents show the ministry asked to be removed as a defendant, arguing it had no duty of care toward Eva’s family and any enforcement of unlicensed daycares is discretionary.
The ministry also said Eva’s death was not a “reasonably foreseeable” consequence of its actions.
But Judge Mary Vallee says there are “genuine legal and factual uncertainties” that can’t be answered without proceeding to trial.
READ MORE: Ontario Liberals want to toughen rules on unlicensed child care facilities
The investigation is ongoing and police are urging anyone with information on this case to contact them.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Homicide Unit at 1-866-876-5423 ext. 7865, email the Homicide Unit at homicide@yrp.ca, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS, leave an anonymous tip online at http://www.1800222tips.com, or text your tip to CRIMES (274637) starting with the word YORK.
With files from The Canadian Press
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