Emergency responders in Edmonton were called Tuesday morning to an apartment where a seven-year-old boy was found dead inside. Police say the boy appeared to have drowned.
“We responded to the apartment building you see behind me. The child was transported to the U-of-A hospital where he was pronounced dead,” says Acting Inspector, Malcolm Allan.
“I assumed it was an ambulance or whatever, you know. Quite often in the morning you’ll hear ambulance sirens and that, but I didn’t hear any noise in the building itself, you know. It’s pretty quiet usually and that’s what it was this morning,” says a neighbour who lives in the apartment building where the boy was found.
Police believe the 911 call was made by the boy’s mother. The 32-year-old woman is in custody. The father reportedly wasn’t at home when emergency responders arrived.
The exact cause of death still needs to be reviewed by a medical examiner. An autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
The homicide unit has taken the lead in the investigation.
“At any investigation such as they where somebody’s died, everything from canvassing neighbours, door-to-door inquiries, to we’re just containing the suite for we’ll obviously do a forensics examination inside the suite, and then of course speaking to anybody, the mother for instance who will obviously have pertinent information to provide,” explains Allan.
The boy was in grade two at a local public school. A spokesperson from Edmonton Public Schools says the principal is aware of the boy’s death, and a crisis team is being assembled, should students need to speak with a psychologist Wednesday.
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