A Winnipeg man has been arrested and charged in the death of his girlfriend’s 21-month-old son.
Police say on Aug. 30, emergency personnel responded to a report of an unresponsive boy in a home.
The child was transported to hospital in critical condition where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators believe the boy was injured by the accused on two different occasions in two different homes that day.
Police say the child’s mother found him and called 911, and blunt-force trauma injuries were discovered on the child’s upper body.
Allen Joseph Frier Beardy, 22, of Winnipeg has been charged with manslaughter.
Beardy “was the mother’s boyfriend, not the biological father,” Const. Jay Murray told reporters at a news conference on Sunday.
Murray said the accused was “criminally known” to police, but not in a “substantial” way.
He said he couldn’t say if Child and Family Services had any dealings with anyone involved in the case, or if there were any other children in the home.
Murray commented on the length of time that passed between the death last month and the suspect’s arrest, noting investigators worked meticulously and interviewed numerous witnesses to obtain evidence.
“These are exceptionally tough investigations. I know from experience, I’ve been part of these investigations. And you can see, (for) officers or medical professionals who have children, it can be very tough for them. And sometimes I think they start to draw comparisons to their own children,” Murray said.
“It’s no small task and I think it’s an investigation that will be with them for a long time.”
The Canadian Press
