A post-mortem examination is underway on an 18-month-old Morinville girl who appears to have died while in foster care.
Police launched the investigation as a sudden death case after the young girl died in hospital Wednesday and are now awaiting a cause of death report from the medical examiner.
Cpl. Wayne Oakes with the RCMP said the examination was underway and it was possible results would be available later this afternoon.
News of the case first broke Wednesday evening on CTV news. The child was reportedly in foster care.
Oakes said the police investigation will run parallel to an investigation launched by Alberta Children and Youth Services, but will be focusing on different aspects.
“For the most part they will be independent, and they have to be because [their] focus will be on different things.”
Oakes said the provincial department will spend time looking at its involvement in the overall case, whereas police will limit their focus to the child's death.
Anyone with any information on the case is being asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or the Morinville RCMP at 780-939-4550.
Oakes conceded with so little information currently available about the case, the public might not have information to bring forward, but said the police would be remiss not to ask for it.
