Mom charged with killing Waywayseecappo First Nation toddler appears in court
36-year-old led into court by sheriff's officers
The woman accused in the death of her toddler in Waywayseecappo First Nation, Man., last year made her first court appearance in a Brandon courtroom Thursday morning.
The 36-year-old was arrested by RCMP on Tuesday and charged with second-degree murder in the death of her two-year-old son.
- Mother charged in death of 2-year-old son in Waywayseecappo First Nation
- Waywayseecappo family says CFS treated them poorly after toddler's death
- Death of boy, 2, on Waywayseecappo First Nation under investigation
Wearing a grey sweatshirt, she was led into a Brandon courtroom by sheriff's officers. She appeared emotionless as lawyers spoke about the case, only nodding her head when asked by the judge whether she understood she couldn't have contact with any witnesses in the case.
A publication ban was also granted in order to protect the identities of witnesses in the case.
A Queen's Bench judge is expected to hear a bail application by the woman at a later date.
RCMP were called to the First Nation on Jan. 31, 2015, to help the Dakota Ojibway Police Service investigate the boy's death.
The boy's uncle told CBC News at the time that he had bumped his head while rough-housing with his sister. The next morning, the child did not wake up and the family called police, they said. He was later pronounced dead at a Winnipeg hospital.
In an interview that aired Feb. 4, 2015, the boy's mother said she was upset that three of her other children were apprehended by Child and Family Services hours after her son died.
Waywayseecappo is about 280 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg and 115 kilometres northwest of Brandon in western Manitoba.
with files from CBC's Jill Coubrough