Winnipeg Parents Charged With Manslaughter In Fentanyl Death Of 1-Year-Old Girl | CBC News

Manitoba·Updated

Winnipeg police have charged two parents with manslaughter after their one-year-old daughter died from fentanyl intoxication.

Police arrested 38-year-old man, 37-year-old woman Friday after daughter’s death last March

Rachel Ferstl · CBC News

· Posted: Feb 05, 2024 12:05 PM EST | Last Updated: 20 minutes ago

The parents were using drugs when the child was exposed to fentanyl, Const. Claude Chancy alleged at a news conference at Winnipeg police headquarters Monday morning. (Justin Fraser/CBC)Police have charged two Winnipeg parents with manslaughter after their one-year-old daughter died from fentanyl intoxication in March 2023.

A 38-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman were arrested at their home on McKenzie Street on Friday, police said in a news release Monday.

Const. Claude Chancy said the parents didn’t call 911 until “several hours” after they knew their daughter had been exposed to the drug.

“We do not need to see infants dying at the hands of irresponsibility,” he said at a news conference at Winnipeg police headquarters Monday morning.

“Whether or not that person has an addiction or a substance abuse problem, this is inexcusable.”

The Winnipeg Police Service child abuse unit started investigating the death on March 23, after a man called 911 and told police his child had become unresponsive at their home, police said.

“It’s something that they knew that the child was in distress at the time and could have called 911 prior to when they did,” Chancy alleged.

Toxicology reports released in June said the girl died from ‘high levels of fentanyl intoxication,’ police say. (Radio-Canada)Winnipeg fire paramedics went to the home on Stella Avenue and gave the child CPR before she was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Both parents were arrested, though not formally charged, for criminal negligence causing death, and the man was also charged with possession of a controlled substance after officers found a small amount of fentanyl on him when he was arrested. They were later released.

“There was an attempt” by the parents to provide medical assistance to the child before police were called, Chancy said.

The parents had had contact with police in the past and were using drugs when their child was exposed to fentanyl, he said. The parents and their child were the only people at the home.

During the investigation, the parents gave little information about the child’s death and offered details about the circumstances leading up to the girl’s death “that were not truthful,” Chancy said.

Toxicology reports released in June and an autopsy found the girl died from “high levels of fentanyl intoxication,” police said. When that was determined, the child abuse unit consulted with the Manitoba Prosecution Service about laying the manslaughter charges.

The parents are now in custody.

Police are dealing with an increase in such cases across Canada, Chancy said.

He said last month, a two-year-old boy ingested fentanyl at a home in Winnipeg.

“We know this society right now has a substance abuse problem,” Chancy said.

“We still need to protect our children. So whether or not you have a drug problem, an alcohol problem, what have you, if you have children in your care, your first responsibility is their safety.”

WATCH | Const. Claude Chancy talks about an increase in cases of children exposed to potentially fatal substances:

Const. Claude Chancy speaks about fentanyl death of 1-year-old girl in WinnipegPolice are dealing with more instances of Canadian children being exposed to potentially fatal substances, Const. Claude Chancy says.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rachel Ferstl started reporting for CBC Manitoba in February 2023. She graduated from Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program and has a bachelor of arts in communications from the University of Winnipeg. She was the 2023 recipient of the Eric and Jack Wells Excellence in Journalism Award and the Dawna Friesen Global News Award for Journalism. Her work has also appeared in the Globe and Mail and the Winnipeg Free Press. Get in touch with her at rachel.ferstl@cbc.ca.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *