The parents of a one-year-old Winnipeg girl are facing manslaughter charges in connection with the child’s death from fentanyl intoxication.
An investigation was launched last March after an autopsy and toxicology reports revealed Hanna Boulette died of “high levels” of fentanyl intoxication, Winnipeg police said in a Feb. 5 press release.
Officers were called to a city residence on March 23, 2023, after an adult male called 911 when his child became “unresponsive,” police said. Paramedics performed CPR on the child at the scene before taking her to hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Garry Daniel Adrian Bruce, 38, and Sabrina Faye Boulette, 37, both of Winnipeg, were arrested by officers on the scene and were charged with criminal negligence causing death. Mr. Bruce was also charged with possession of a controlled substance after police discovered drugs during the arrest. Both were subsequently released.
Further investigation by the Winnipeg Police Service Child Abuse Unit determined the parents had not been “forthcoming with details of the incident,” Const. Claude Chancy said during a Feb. 5 press conference.
Const. Chancy said the amount of time that passed between the child’s fentanyl exposure to the time 911 was called was “certainly a factor that may have” played a role in the child’s death.
“I can’t give you the exact amount of time but [it] was several hours,” he said, adding that the parents “knew the child was in distress.”
As a result of the investigation, officers arrested both parents at their McKenzie Street residence “without incident,” he said.
Mr. Bruce and Ms. Boulette have since been charged with manslaughter and remain in custody.
“It’s heartbreaking when we see these incidents,” Const. Chancy said. “We do not need to see infants dying at the hands of irresponsibility.”
“The fact of the matter is we still need to protect our children,” he added. “So whether or not you have a drug problem, an alcohol problem...if you have children in your care, your first responsibility is their safety.”
There has been a marked increase in the number of incidents across Canada during which children are exposed to fentanyl and other drugs, the constable said.
He referenced a similar situation in December during which a two-year-old boy “inadvertently ingested a substance believed to be fentanyl” while crawling on the floor at his North Point Douglas home.
The child was taken to hospital by ambulance “in critical condition” but was stabilized “after several doses of Narcan,” police said in a Jan. 2 press release.
A 28-year-old male of Winnipeg is facing a charge of cause bodily harm by criminal negligence in connection with the incident.
