An investigation is underway in Brampton after an infant was found dead at a residence on Sunday night.
Peel Regional Police (PRP) were called to a home in the area of Kennedy Road North and Williams Parkway around 8:23 p.m. for what officials initially described as a medical emergency. When officers arrived, they located an infant who was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Police confirmed a 23‑year‑old female was taken into custody in connection with the incident and charged with concealing the body of a child after birth.
In an update on Monday, Cst. Tyler Bell-Morena confirmed that the woman is the deceased infant’s mother.
He said a resident of the home, unrelated to the woman, discovered the remains of a newborn infant and called police. It is unclear how many others live there and while the mother lives at the home, she was arrested at a local hospital where she was seeking medical attention.
Bell-Morena said as the investigation is in the early stages, it is unclear what she was seeking treatment for, but it is an important detail that will help investigators determine if she acted alone or if anyone else was involved.
It is also currently unclear when the infant was delivered and whether they were born deceased or died at a later time.
“The Special Victim’s Unit will be overseeing to try and determine the cause and manner of death because of course an important question needs to be determined – was the child born alive or born deceased?” said Bell-Morena.
“The working theory is the birth happened in home – but it could have happened somewhere else. Whether or not she knew about the pregnancy? We just don’t know. We’ve seen cases in the past where it’s a surprise. We just don’t know if that’s the circumstance here and it’s a pretty complex task to undertake for our Special Victim’s Unit.”
Bell-Morena stressed the importance of treating the investigation with utmost sensitivity given the nature of the events. He added that it is a very difficult case for investigators to grapple with as well.
“This is a horrific scene to stumble upon as a first responder, officers, paramedics – anyone who attended. And of course getting into the specifics of an investigation like this to try and understand requires constant exposure, so it’s undoubtedly a very heavy case,” he said, adding that investigators are being supported through available wellness resources.
Anyone with information is asked to contact PRP.
With files from Dilshad Burman