Allegation of 'abominable abuse' of 6-year-old girl by foster parents under investigation: families minister

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Manitoba’s families minister is conducting an internal investigation into the circumstances that led to a six-year-old girl in foster care suffering injuries that may lead to her being paralyzed for life, search warrant documents show.

Nahanni Fontaine characterized what occurred to the girl as "abominable abuse."

"I take the safety of all children incredibly seriously.… I think that all of us can agree that children shouldn't be abused," she said, adding she cannot go into further details about the case due to privacy laws under the Child and Families Services Act.

"We're looking at what occurred within the system to allow this child to face this amount of abuse."

The girl, from one of the four First Nations in the Island Lake area, was living in Winnipeg in the care of foster parents when she was taken to hospital in critical condition on Sept. 19, Winnipeg police previously said.

Officers were called that day to a home in the Riverbend neighbourhood in north Winnipeg about a child with serious injuries.

Police said at the time they believed the girl, who was one of four children taken from the home, was injured sometime on Sept. 17 or Sept. 18 and did not receive the medical attention she needed. 

Her 25-year-old foster mom was charged with aggravated assault, assault and failing to provide the necessaries of life. Her 26-year-old foster dad faces a charge of failing to provide the necessaries of life.

Winnipeg police applied to search the home of the foster parents on Sept. 20, stating there was evidence at the home to prove the alleged abuse.

In a sworn affidavit, a Winnipeg police officer said the girl sustained "life-altering" injuries, including a fractured cervical spine, a fractured breast bone and a bruised lung, and had "significant bruising" over her entire body. 

Her sternum and vertebrae were broken and she had tape burns on her mouth, police say, along with what appeared to be small stabs at the bottoms of her feet. 

A respite worker told police she last saw the girl on Sept. 17, according to the documents. 

She was scheduled to help the foster parents with child care for the next two days. She was at home on Sept. 18, but didn’t enter the girl's bedroom after the foster parents said she was sick and sleeping. The worker did not see the girl that day.

Early on Sept. 19, the foster parents emailed the worker to say the girl was sick, and that the worker didn’t need to come. 

Later that night, the foster parents called emergency services. 

Police believe the girl had been lying in bed, unable to move due to the severity of her injuries.

Officers who investigated at the home found the little girl’s bedsheets were soaked in urine, leading them to believe she had been lying in bed for an extended period of time, according to the documents.

A separate search warrant document filed in September by Winnipeg police sought access to the foster parents' phones, alleging the devices held evidence to show what the foster parents did after the girl was injured.

In those documents, police say that during interviews with them, the foster mom admitted to slamming the little girl on the ground a number of times on Sept. 18. She told them she called paramedics the next day, after the foster parents found the girl wasn’t moving.

The foster parents likely used their cellphones to get advice on how to treat the little girl’s injuries, the search warrant documents say.

Two more production orders were filed in October by Winnipeg police, seeking the medical records of two other foster children in the parents' care.

Police allege that one of those children showed visible signs of bruising and injuries "consistent with being struck by a thin belt or a rope," according to the document.

Another child under their care also showed signs of abuse, the documents allege, including a compression injury to the child's vertebrae. 

Families Minister Fontaine couldn’t go into details about what the current investigation will include, but said the department will be able to compel evidence and witnesses. She couldn't give a timeline for its completion, noting the ongoing police investigation. 

"It's gonna go for as long as it takes," she said.

She stopped short of ordering what's called a "Section 4" review.

Under the Child and Family Services Act, the director of the department can order a review that looks at all aspects of a child's life, before and after they entered into care.

Those type of reviews are typically broader in scope, said Ryan Stelter, Fontaine's spokesperson.

A Section 4 review was ordered in 2024 following the slaying of 17-year-old Myah Gratton. Gratton’s mother said Winnipeg Child and Family Services placed the teen in a home with the man now charged with her murder, despite the mother telling CFS she had safety concerns.

Due to privacy concerns, most of the findings from the investigation into the six-year-old's alleged abuse will not be made public, but Fontaine said her department might be able to release the steps it will take "to ensure that this doesn't happen again."

Sherry Gott, Manitoba’s Advocate for Children and Youth, has also been looking into the alleged abuse since it was reported in September to her office, which is responsible for reviewing all serious injuries to children receiving government services.

Gott said she supports any further review by the province into what happened to the girl.

Provincial standards say a child in foster care considered "low-risk" should be physically checked on at least every 30 days. In high-risk situations, it should be once a week. 

Gott said more resources are needed to ensure that happens.

"Because of the revolving doors in child welfare, people come and go. So if one social worker leaves, another social worker assumes that caseload … and then you have 40 cases," she said.

"Children are falling through the cracks when there is a lack of oversight."

Girl possibly paralyzed for life following alleged abuse by Winnipeg foster parents: documents

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