Woman accused in drowning of girl at Wabamun Lake had been under house arrest

A bail proceeding has heard that a pistillate accused successful the drowning decease of a five-year-old miss successful an Alberta water didn’t cognize the kid and was expected to beryllium nether location arrest.

Mary Quinn, 35, is charged with failing to supply the necessaries of beingness aft the miss was recovered dormant past period astatine Wabamun Lake, westbound of Edmonton.

Justice Rosanna Saccomani called the circumstances of the lawsuit “absolutely shocking.” She said she would present a determination connected bail adjacent week.

There is simply a court-ordered work prohibition connected identifying the kid but not connected details from Wednesday’s proceeding successful provincial tribunal successful Stony Plain, Alta.

Prosecutor John Schmidt told the proceeding that Quinn was nether location apprehension arsenic portion of a conditional sentencing bid for pushing her mode into a stranger’s home, equipped with a gardening tool, portion intoxicated.

He said Quinn didn’t get support from her bail supervisor to spell to the water connected Oct. 13.

Schmidt said Quinn and the kid didn’t cognize each other, and the accused didn’t get support from the child’s household to instrumentality her retired connected the water successful a canoe.

Neither wore a life-jacket, said Schmidt.

He said the girl’s begetter began searching the water erstwhile helium realized she was missing, arsenic did 3 fishermen successful a motorboat.

When the fishermen recovered the canoe astatine the acold extremity of Moonlight Bay, they saw a pistillate wrong with 1 of her arms successful the h2o and she appeared to beryllium holding something, said Schmidt.

He said idiosyncratic connected the enactment flew a drone implicit the canoe.

“He besides saw, with the video provender of the drone, the accused holding what helium believed was the young miss nether the water,” said Schmidt.

The authoritative said the girl’s father, successful different boat, past approached Quinn and asked wherever his girl was. The pistillate said she didn’t know.

The begetter saw a tiny ft poking retired from nether the canoe, Schmidt said.

He said the begetter jumped into the water, causing Quinn to autumn in. The begetter pulled the child’s assemblage into the vessel and performed CPR.

The fishermen took the begetter and miss backmost to shore, wherever paramedics took over, said Schmidt. The miss was aboriginal declared dead.

Quinn told antithetic stories to bystanders astir what happened, said Schmidt.

The pistillate said the miss had leaned implicit the broadside of the canoe and fell successful the water, and she said the miss went to pursuit a duck and the vessel flipped, the authoritative said.

Trending Now

At the time, RCMP said they were called to the water for a capsized canoe. They said a kid and a pistillate were pulled from the water.

Shortly after, Mounties said the canoe didn’t capsize and the drowning was being investigated arsenic a transgression matter. Quinn was aboriginal arrested.

Defence lawyer Jason Leung told tribunal the circumstances of the drowning are chartless and determination are reasons wherefore the kid could person gone overboard.

“The kid goes aft a duck, the canoe rocks, the kid falls into the h2o (and) finds herself caught connected something,” Leung said.

He said his lawsuit doesn’t cognize however to aquatics and could person been successful shock.

The Crown argued Quinn should not beryllium released.

Schmidt said it’s not believed that Quinn deliberately planned the child’s death, but her actions afterward amusement she was trying to fell her involvement.

He said the miss would inactive beryllium live if the accused had obeyed her location apprehension oregon if she had called for assistance erstwhile the kid fell into the water.

The justice said if the miss had fallen into the water, it’s bizarre the accused didn’t question assistance from the fishermen who approached her.

“It would beryllium expected, if the kid is successful the h2o and you can’t spot the kid … you wouldn’t person your hands successful the water,” Saccomani said.