Desiree Knoll hopes an inquiry into the death of her eight-year-old daughter in government care in 2014 will prevent similar tragedies.
“We’re definitely hoping that this fatality inquiry will lead us into justice for Nevaeh Michaud,” Knoll said outside court Monday, as the four-day hearing began. “Accountability is definitely my main priority here because that there alone gives my daughter her justice.”
On Jan. 5, 2014, Michaud was found unresponsive in bed by a worker at her group home. She died from an overdose of sleeping medication.
Police investigated but could not determine how the overdose happened.
READ MORE: Alberta mother speaks out after daughter dies in government care
A report from Alberta’s child advocate following Michaud’s death said the girl had complex needs and was on various medications. Del Graff said her circumstances “raised questions about the need for improved awareness of existing protocols, the handling of children with complex needs, and medication management for children in care.”
Graff said the provincial government needs to ensure all caregivers follow medication policies.
He said an internal government investigation found gaps in the group home’s medication procedures, although changes had been made.
READ MORE: Report released into overdose death of eight-year old girl in Alberta group home
Knoll was in court Monday morning as the medical examiner testified. She believes her daughter’s death could have been avoided.
“It is very slowly starting to appear to a lot of us that this death could have been extremely preventable,” she said. “I want answers based on the whole last year of my daughter’s life because there are so many things that I have never been told, so many things leading up to her death.
“I don’t think it’s just about group homes for me, it’s kind of a little bit of everything. There’s a lot of child services workers out there that take and bend the Child Family Enhancement Act.”
Michaud was in government care for just over a year before she died. Her mother said she was full of life and love.
“My daughter was a very, very special gift from God,” she said. “She was smart, she could’ve done anything she wanted to.”
The fatality inquiry is expected to last four days. Fatality inquiries are meant to look into the circumstances surrounding a person’s death to prevent similar incidents from happening again. They are not meant to assign blame.
With files from The Canadian Press.