Cold Lake toddler beaten to death, grandfather says
The grandfather of a 16-month-old girl whose death has been ruled a homicide says the toddler suffered a horrific assault.
Veronica Poitras was rushed from her mother’s Cold Lake apartment to hospital across the street before RCMP were alerted just after 7 p.m. on Aug. 26.
Soon after, she was taken to a hospital in Edmonton for treatment. She was taken off of life support and pronounced dead on Tuesday, Aug. 29.
On Sept. 8, RCMP ruled the case a homicide.
“Everyone’s so traumatized in our family to see her laying there motionless, brain-dead,” said Jason Houle, father of Jaylene Houle, the baby’s mother.
“It was like someone took a ballpeen hammer, a little ball-peen hammer and beat her with it.”
He said his daughter had gone for groceries and KFC, leaving the toddler in the care of a man she trusted. The baby’s biological father shared custody of Veronica and was not in the apartment when she suffered her injuries, said Houle.
He said that when he saw little Veronica in hospital, she was covered in bruises, including some on her cheek and forehead. He was by her bedside in Cold Lake and after she was taken to Edmonton’s Stollery Children’s Hospital.
The family is reeling from the death, he said, but trying to remember the little girl as a happy toddler who was just beginning to walk and talk.
RCMP have not provided an update on the case since Sept. 8. No charges have been laid.
Police were asking anyone with any information about the case to contact Crime Stoppers or Cold Lake RCMP.