WINNIPEG — The parents of a baby girl who died last year from a fentanyl overdose are now facing manslaughter charges.
Winnipeg police confirmed the charges Monday in the death of one-year-old Hanna Boulette.
Hanna was pronounced dead in hospital last March, soon after paramedics were called to a home and found her unresponsive, police told a news conference Monday.
Autopsy and toxicology reports determined her death was due to high levels of fentanyl in her system.Â
"It's heartbreaking when we see these instances. We do not need to see infants dying at the hands of irresponsibility," police Const. Claude Chancy told a news conference.
"We know that our society right now has a substance use problem.Â
“The fact of the matter is we need still need to protect our children … if you have children in your care, your first responsibility is their safety."
Investigators allege the father and mother were aware the baby had ingested the substance but waited several hours before calling for help.Â
"The amount of time that had passed from when the parents were aware of the child's fentanyl exposure to the time that 911 (was) called, was certainly a factor that may have played in the child's death," said Chancy.Â
He added the parents attempted to provide medical assistance before they called paramedics.
Chancy said it is believed the parents were using the drug at the time.
Officers initially arrested the parents for criminal negligence causing death, but those charges were never laid.Â
The father was also charged with drug possession after officers found a small amount of fentanyl on him, police said.Â
Chancy said police are concerned about the number of cases they're seeing where children have been exposed to illegal substances.Â
"The fact that we're even talking about one person right now, that's too many," he said.
Garry Daniel Adrian Bruce, 38, and Sabrina Faye Boulette, 37, were charged after they were arrested Friday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2024.Â
Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press
