The mother of a seven-year-old girl who died after being found unresponsive in the family’s Laval, Que., home was charged with assault and criminal negligence causing death.
The woman appeared via videoconference at the Laval courthouse Friday morning, following her arrest.
Police spokeswoman Stéphanie Beshara said the woman was arrested around 7 a.m. Friday morning.
Police could not provide more details about the arrest as the investigation is still ongoing.
The seven-year-old girl was found unconscious in a home in the Chomedey neighbourhood on Jan. 3. Manoeuvres were performed on the child, who was in a state of cardiac arrest, but her death was confirmed at the hospital.
At the time, investigators confirmed they weren’t ruling out the hypothesis that the girl had died after suffering bodily harm.
A few days later, Quebec’s human rights and youth rights commission announced its own investigation into the death.
The investigation of the commission — which will not be public — aims to determine whether the child’s rights were respected and if her death could have been prevented. It said youth protection had previously received a report about the child.
There is a publication ban on the identity of the woman in order to protect her two other children.
She is being detained until her next court appearance on Monday, for a scheduled bail hearing.
— With files from Global News’ Kalina Laframboise, Annabelle Olivier
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