Police to investigate toddler's (Foster childs)death as homicide

Police to investigate toddler's death as homicide

The Stollery Children's Hospital.

Updated: Thu Mar. 04 2010 18:04:38

ctvedmonton.ca

The death of a 21-month-old girl who died while in foster care is being investigated as a homicide.

While police have not released the cause of death, the child's biological family says it may be a case of shaken baby syndrome. RCMP are also not releasing the child's name.

CTV News learned the child passed away at the Stollery Children's Hospital Wednesday, two days after an alleged incident at her foster home in the Morinville area.

The biological family tells CTV News the toddler had only been in foster care for about two months. They say the little girl suffered severe brain damage, and that doctors told them the toddler may have been shaken to death.

The province claims privacy laws prevent it from disclosing how long the foster parents have been in the system, or if there are currently other foster children residing in the same home.

Minister of Children and Youth Services Yvonne Fritz says an internal investigation was ordered immediately following the news that the little girl had been admitted to hospital with critical injuries.

"We will be reviewing the policies, the procedures, the standards. We'll be looking at absolutely every support that we ensured was in place for this foster family and for this child."

RCMP say their investigators will work with provincial officials as they look into the death.

With files from Susan Amerongen

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