A Calgary mother says more than a decade before a child died at a city dayhome—she had concerns about the same dayhome operator.
The allegations have been reported to police. No charges were laid and the allegations have not been proven in court.
Stephanie Law told Global News the incident happened in 2004, when her daughter was just five months old.
Law said she sought the help of Elmarie Simons as she tried to juggle being a new mom with being a full-time student.
One day when she went to pick up her little girl, Law said Simons was nowhere to be found.
“I was there for 20 minutes. I was banging—literally banging on the door. Nobody was coming.”
Law says eventually the dayhome operator’s adult son answered the door. She said she went in the house and followed the sound of crying.
“I could hear my baby just wailing,” she said. “There’s my baby in the dark, facing the toilet in an umbrella stroller at five months of age.”
“You don’t put a baby in an umbrella stroller. I was livid.”
“Why was my child left alone, unsupervised, screaming in a dangerous situation?”
Law said Simons later explained to her she was only gone for a few minutes and pointed to the fact her son was in the home at the time.
She cut contact with Simons and said she put the incident out of her head until she saw a story about Simons on the news.
“As soon as I saw her face on the TV screen, I dropped to the ground and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness.’”
The story was about 18-month-old Ceira McGrath, who died in Simons’ dayhome.
Simons has since pleaded guilty to one count of criminal negligence causing death in the case.
Watch below from April 16: A Calgary court heard shocking new details about the 2015 death of a toddler after the dayhome operator charged in her death pleaded guilty. Nancy Hixt reports.
The 59-year-old admitted she left Ceira in a car seat in a closet for more than five hours while she ran errands.
Ceira died from asphyxiation caused by the car seat strap.
“I feel partially to blame that I didn’t report it back then. Then it wouldn’t have happened to this little girl.”
Ceira’s father Ryan McGrath admits he’s wondered the same thing after hearing Law’s ordeal.
“That crosses your mind,” he said. ”You just find some strength and you are happy that Stephanie’s daughter is OK.”
McGrath feels there needs to be some sort of investigation ordered into Simons’ conduct as a dayhome operator.
“We feel that if there are other cases like this—which we do feel there are—we feel there should be an inquiry,” he said. “This shouldn’t just be allowed to go away and be forgotten.”
Law came forward as a witness, willing to testify in Simons’ trial. But Simons’ pleaded guilty on the day her trial was scheduled to begin.
None of Law’s allegations are included in the facts currently admitted by Simons.
Simon’s defence lawyer Alain Hepner gave a statement to Global News Tuesday afternoon.
“I will not comment on information that is not before the court,” he said. “I can only comment on the case before the judge that involves Ceira McGrath.”
Simons was sentenced Thursday to three-and-a-half years in jail in the death of Ceira. The judge called her actions cruel and callous.
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