Toddler Dies From Head Injury, Stepmother Charged With Manslaughter

A woman in Winnipeg, Canada, was charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of her toddler stepson.

Medics responded to a home on March 24 after receiving a report of an injured toddler. The child was immediately rushed to a local hospital where he succumbed to injuries two days later. The child appeared to have died from a head injury and other injuries were also found on his body.

The child’s stepmother, identified as 20-year-old Victoria Reane Thiessen, was interviewed in connection with the death. She told the investigators that either the child had fallen or he was struck by his four-year-old sibling.

“The examination concluded that neither of those explanations would have accounted for the seriousness of the injury or the mechanism of the injury,” Constable Rob Carver with the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news conference Monday. The woman was taken into custody Friday and charged with manslaughter. Investigation into the incident was ongoing and no information was available about the child’s father.

Meanwhile, speaking about the toddler, Allison White, the victim’s grandmother said the boy was caring and loved getting hugs and cuddles.

"Everyone who met him fell in love with him. He had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh,” she said.

Jessica White, the toddler's aunt, said, "He could never fail to put a smile on anybody's face when he walked into a room, he was just so filled with joy all the time.”

Calling the incident a “tragic on so many levels,” Carver said, “It’s hard on investigators for sure, but it touches all sorts of people. It touches the family, it touches the community.”

A GoFundMe page was started to help the family cover funeral expenses of the toddler and the additional money raised will be donated to a cause involving abused children.

“Brett passed away on March 26th, 2020 at the age of 2 1/2, the result of a catastrophic brain injury. The fund is helping cover the funeral expenses. We are close to achieving our goal and the extra money we raise will be donated to a cause involving abused children,” the page said.