Death of Sioux Valley infant ‘now a homicide case’: RCMP

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This article was published 26/01/2016 (3728 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Police say they are now investigating a homicide after a two-month-old baby girl from Sioux Valley Dakota Nation died on the weekend.

Haelin Taliyah Taylor had been in critical condition in a Winnipeg hospital after being “seriously injured” Jan. 4 at a residence in Sioux Valley, according to RCMP.

The Manitoba RCMP Serious Crimes Unit had been leading the investigation since being notified of the injury that day, with the assistance of the Dakota Ojibway Police Service.

“This is the saddest of tragedies for the community and all Manitobans,” Sgt. Bert Paquet of the Manitoba RCMP said Tuesday.

“Based on our investigation to date, we can say that other children are not at risk. While we understand that a lot of questions are being asked about this case, our focus remains on the investigation in order to bring answers to the community.”

The baby’s grandmother said yesterday that the family “has suffered a tremendous loss.”
“We are hurt, we are lost, we are angry from the accusations from the RCMP, Child and Family Services and the media,” Pamela Bunn said. “So we prefer to stay out of the media at this time to mourn the loss of my granddaughter.”

On Jan. 5, the day after the reported injury, police had cordoned off a Sioux Valley bungalow as part of the investigation.

A woman who identified herself as the mother’s sister told The Brandon Sun the incident had been blown out of proportion.

“Nothing’s happening, they’re just doing it as a precaution,” the woman said. “They thought something happened to the baby and it’s nothing … it’s bacteria in the blood, but it just like got all blown out of proportion.”

She said the baby stopped breathing sometime that Monday, so an ambulance was called and the child taken to Brandon and then Winnipeg.

The initial medical report by Brandon Regional Health Centre says Haelin had woken up on Jan. 4 with a “gurgle” and had gone unresponsive. The infant was admitted with respiratory arrest and was diagnosed with gastroenteritis — her reported symptoms from the previous day included vomiting and diarrhea.

Haelin underwent a blood transfusion at the hospital due to a low hemoglobin count.
No physical injuries were noted by ambulance staff.

The mother’s sister said doctors didn’t know what was wrong with the girl and contacted Child and Family Services, who in turn notified police.

A funeral service for Haelin will be held at the Sioux Valley Veterans Hall on Thursday. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made in Haelin’s memory to the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba PICU Department.

» The Brandon Sun