Child death review committee months away

It will take another few months for a committee to be struck to review cases of child deaths.

Bill 33, an act to amend the Fatalities Investigation Act, for the formation of a Child Death Review Committee (CDRC) to examine unexpected deaths involving youth under the age of 19 years, was passed in the House of Assembly in June.

According to a Department of Justice spokesman, however, the Child Death Review Committee has not been struck. It will only deal with future cases, not review any deaths prior to its creation.

An internal working committee has been struck with representatives from the departments of Justice, Child Youth and Family Services and Health and Community Services. That committee is seeking suitable candidates for appointment to the CDRC and is also working on policies and regulations that will govern the work of the CDRC under to the Fatalities Investigation Act.

Creating such a committee was one of the recommendations in the 2006 Turner Review and Investigation report prepared by Peter Markesteyn and David Day.

Zachary Turner, 13 months old, was killed in 2003 when his mother, Shirley Turner, took both their lives in a murder-suicide in Conception Bay South. Both drowned.

Turner was on bail awaiting extradition to the United States to face charges in the shooting death of Andrew Bagby, her ex-lover and Zachary’s father.