Toddlers at the center of Manitoba homicide investigation taken away from caregiver at nine months old

Parents launch CFS lawsuit over Indigenous child apprehended at birth

The toddler at the center of a Manitoba homicide investigation was apprehended from the care of her mother just nine months after she was born, her family says.

The three-year-old girl died in hospital last week after she was rushed to the emergency room with severe injuries.

Her mother's cousin, 27-year-old Brittany Rose Koop, has been charged with second-degree murder. Koop is next scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 16.

The girl's parents are now suing Child and Family Services (CFS) over the apprehension, and the family's lawyer says they had significant concerns about Koop's ability to care for the child.

"There were warning signs that this child should not have been placed in this home," said Lorna Daniels. "CFS needs to be held accountable for what happened.

In their statement of claim, the parents allege that CFS was aware of Koop's "violent and unstable" behavior, and that she had a history of drug and alcohol abuse.

The lawsuit also alleges that CFS failed to properly investigate the home before placing the child in Koop's care, and that the agency did not provide adequate supervision of the child.

CFS has not yet filed a statement of defense, so allegations have not been proven in court.

Manitoba's child welfare system under fire

The lawsuit is the latest in a series of high-profile cases that have raised concerns about the Manitoba government's child welfare system.

In 2019, the province launched an independent review of CFS after a number of Indigenous children died while in the care of the agency.

The review found that CFS was "chronically underfunded" and that there were "significant gaps" in the services it provided to children.

The province has since announced a number of reforms to the child welfare system, but the death of the three-year-old girl has renewed calls for more action.