A 29-year-old Edmonton woman has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with her daughter’s death last year.
On Oct. 12, 2015, police were called by EMS to a residence in the area of 116 Avenue and 124 Street.
When police arrived on scene, paramedics were treating five-year-old Shalaina Arcand for apparent head injuries. The girl was taken to hospital where she died of her injuries on Oct. 16, 2015.
Edmonton police said the Medical Examiner’s office recently finalized autopsy results, which found the girl died as a result of head trauma.
“When you have a victim who is young, five years of age, and there is obvious trauma to the victim’s head, autopsies often take longer analysis,” Scott Pattison, spokesperson with the EPS, said.
“It’s just the nature of the work they do. It sometimes can be rather comprehensive and takes a long time to ensure everything is done properly.”
Lauren Lafleche, Arcand’s mother, has since been charged with second-degree murder and assault with a weapon.
“When you’re dealing with any investigation, it’s certainly tragic. But when you’re dealing with the death of a five-year-old girl… it’s extremely tragic and a sad situation,” Pattison said.
“A young life has been taken from the world and detectives involved, I know it’s a very difficult investigation for them to work on.”
Pattison said Arcand’s death has been recorded as Edmonton’s 38th homicide of 2016.
“Although the event happened in 2015, charges were just laid in 2016, thus it becomes the 38th homicide of the year,” Pattison explained.