EDMONTON – RCMP have confirmed that they are investigating the death of a Morinville infant in foster care who died Wednesday.
“We are conducting an investigation,” said spokesman Cpl. Wayne Oakes. “We’re in the early stage of looking at all aspects.”
There is not yet any confirmation the child’s death was criminal, Oakes said.
Little information is available, but it is believed the child was taken to hospital after an incident Monday night.
Yvonne Fritz, Minister of Children and Youth Services, said the government will also review the death, which will run parallel to the RCMP investigation.
Fritz said the child was under two years old.
The biological family of the child has reportedly told CTV doctors believe the child may have been shaken, which can result in fatal injuries.
Both Fritz and the RCMP are expected to provide updates on the case today.
In February, Garry Prokopishin a foster parent in Calgary, was charged with sex crimes against three of the dozens of teenagers who had lived in his home.
In August 2009, an Edmonton foster mother was sentenced to three years for manslaughter when an infant boy in her care died of head injuries. The woman, who cannot be identified, has appealed her sentence and maintained the boy died after throwing himself on the floor.
In January 2009, the Edmonton aunt and foster mother of a four-year-old girl was charged with second-degree murder when the child died of head injuries. The girl was one of six children placed by Alberta Children and Family Services with the 24-year-old woman.
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