Mother questions daughter’s death in Edmonton group home

The mother of an eight-year-old developmentally delayed girl who died in her sleep at an Edmonton group home has questions about her death.

The woman, who cannot be named under the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act, said police and a social worker came to her door on Sunday with the news her daughter’s heart had stopped.

“Which right away tipped me off to being suspicious due to the fact that my daughter never had heart problems,” the woman told CBC News on Thursday.

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The woman has asked for an autopsy and toxicology tests to be done on her daughter. She says the girl was diagnosed with severe depression and sleep disorders.

Provincial officials initially refused to confirm the death, saying it would constitute a privacy breach, even though the child cannot be identified by law.

However, Human Services Minister Manmeet Bhullar acknowledged the death on Wednesday but refused to say where or when, arguing the law prohibited him from saying more.

Woman wants to be named

The girl was taken from her mother a year ago.

“Part of me still thinks that if she was here (with her), she would still be here. I do not believe they had the right to take my daughter away,” she said.

The woman says she`s angered by the situation and wants to know what happened to her daughter. 

“Why was it that my daughter was 70 pounds in my care and turned into 37 pounds prior to her death?” she asked.

The woman is also frustrated that Alberta legislation prohibits her and her daughter from being publicly identified.

She believes the legislation gives the government a cloak to hide behind.

“I feel that they are abusing this right of privacy and they’re not allowing people their right of freedom of speech,” she said.

The woman also wants people to be able to see her daughter.

“She was beautiful and she entered the hearts of many, many people in so many different ways.”

CBC News has reached out to the government seeking comment on the woman's situation. A response hadn't been received by 9:30 p.m. Thursday night.