Victoria toddler death under review by B.C. police watchdog

B.C.'s police watchdog is now investigating the death of a Victoria toddler who was found in a hotel room last weekend after reports the police had talked to the child's mother twice before. 

The child's death has shaken members of the Victoria mosque who called police because they had concerns the night before the officers were called to the hotel.

"People said that they called the police. I think at that time something should have been done. If police knew they should have informed whoever needs to deal with this situation .. we didn't do our job," said Muhammad Ghouri, outside the mosque.

Province's child-protection department also waiting results

The province's child-protection department is also keeping a close eye on this case, awaiting the cause of death and other details.

"Frequently a child protection issue is not reported and this creates a gap and It creates a safety problem. I can't say that was the case here," said Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, the B.C. Representative for Children and Youth. "But it is a lens I will be applying as the evidence comes forward."

Victoria police were called to investigate after people saw a distraught woman screaming in a Douglas Street hotel early Saturday morning.

Toddler found with no vital signs

Officers found the woman and two children in the hotel. The 19-month-old had no vital signs.

On Sunday police revealed they had spoken twice with the mother previous to the incident at the hotel.

On Friday a concerned citizen alerted police to a woman frantically praying near the waterfront at Clover Point around 3 p.m.

Later mosque-goers reported a woman acting erratically inside their mosque on Friday night. The next day, police found the mother with her two children in the downtown hotel room.

The death left members of the mosque upset.

"It's a very sad thing—any child. It's a terrible situation," said Hassan Khan, outside the Masjid Al-Imam mosque on Quadra Street.

B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office (IIO) will proceed with a full investigation if it finds a connection between the police officer's conduct and the child's death.

No cause of death has been released yet.