An infant died at the Stollery Children’s Hospital from traumatic injuries and now her mother has been charged with murder, Edmonton police announced on Friday.
The five-month-old girl was admitted to the Stollery with life-threatening injuries on Tuesday, Mar. 7.
A day later, the EPS Child Protection Section launched an investigation into the injuries. The baby girl was declared dead on Saturday, Mar. 11.
An autopsy done the following week by the medical examiner in Edmonton determined the child’s death was caused by blunt force trauma and it was a homicide.
On Thursday, Apr. 13, the child’s mother, a 30-year-old woman, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
There is one other minor child in the family, so Edmonton police said the names of both the mom and the dead girl are not being released to protect the privacy of the sibling.
The baby was included on the Alberta government children’s services list of recent deaths.
The agency reports on any child, youth or young adult who dies, is seriously injured or experiences a substantiated incident while in care or being investigated.
Its reporting includes both situations “where an intake has been opened for screening and assessment but services are not yet being provided, and when a child, youth or young adult is receiving services from us.”
Since March 3, 10 deaths of children and young adults both in and not in care, but involved in some way with children’s services, have been reported by the province.