Toddler who drowned in Portage la Prairie retention pond was in the care of CFS agency
CBC
Holding a stuffed brown bear, the mother of a two-year old boy who drowned last week in a retention pond in Portage la Prairie, Man., says her son was a "happy little boy.… He was a very energetic boy."
That brown bear will be buried with her son later this week.
"Knowing the actual truth of what caused his death is hitting me hard-core.… It's sinking in my mind that he'll [be] resting soon in the spirit world," said his mother.
The boy was in the care of Sagkeeng Child and Family Services, which is why CBC cannot name him, or reveal any identifying information about his biological family.
"My family is grieving really hard.… I'm struggling right now, having to go through the [process] of burying him," said the mom, gripping the stuffed animal. "I want to seek justice."
The family says they were told that the toddler had wandered off, and his body was later found in a retention pond behind the residence of his foster family on the evening of June 19.
"My mother instincts kicked in.… I couldn't sleep. I knew something was wrong," recalls the mother about the day she found out about the death of her son.
"Sagkeeng Child and Family Services came and found me later … told me the bad news about [my son], they said that they were sorry."
The mother says she had a good relationship with her son's foster family and had regular visits with him on Facetime.
"I trusted the foster parents.… [They] had been there for my child since he was born," she said.
The family says they are still waiting for answers about what happened to the toddler, saying his death could easily have been prevented if there had been a fence around the pond.
"What is a two-year-old boy doing wandering by himself at 7:20 at night?" said the boy's aunt. "Whether it was a family gathering, a family picnic — it doesn't matter what was happening, you know there's a retention pond right there."
She says toddlers are naturally curious and need to be watched at all times.
"[There] should be all eyes and hands and ears on deck."
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