LOCAL CRIME
Couple faces manslaughter charges in death of boy, 3, found unresponsive at Six Nations home
OHSWEKEN — A 25-year-old Six Nations woman and her 27-year-old boyfriend are facing manslaughter charges in the death of her threeyear-old son found unresponsive in a Mohawk Road home in March.
Six Nations Police were called to the home at 792 Mohawk Rd., Ohsweken, around 7:20 p.m. on March 6 and found three-year-old Torrence VanEvery without vital signs, Six Nations Police said Friday.
He was transported to Brantford General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:16 p.m.
The boy’s father, Torrey VanEvery, identified the couple charged as his son’s mother and her boyfriend.
“The death of my son Torrence Ezra Todd VanEvery has changed my life forever,” he said in a message to The Spectator. “All my plans, hopes and dreams for him are gone.”
He called his young son his “future star lacrosse player,” adding the three-year-old was buried with his lacrosse stick.
Haldimand County OPP Const. Ed Sanchuk said the charges were laid months later as a result of what was found in the autopsy. Test results, including toxicology, can take months.
The couple also faces drug charges.
“It’s very traumatic for everyone involved,” Sanchuk said.
The investigation is being led by Six Nations Police with the assistance of OPP.
“This incident was very traumatic for everyone involved in this investigation and it is my hope that we can heal and come closer together as community to help protect all of our children,” Six Nations Chief Glenn Lickers said in a news release.
On Thursday, investigators from the OPP and Six Nations Police Service charged a man and woman in relation to the boy’s death. They were also charged with drug and firearm offences.
Madeline Lee Froman, 25, of Six Nations has been charged with manslaughter, plus a number of firearm and drug offences.
John Paul Smoke Jr., 27, of Six Nations has been charged with manslaughter, plus with a number of firearm and drug offences.