Child and family service agencies in Ontario and Manitoba have launched internal reviews after a woman was charged with second-degree murder in the death of her daughter.
Four-year-old Dillon Belanger, called Breana by family, was rushed to hospital in Winnipeg from her home in Stuartburn on Sunday.
The young girl died from severe injuries from an assault, said RCMP.
The girl's mother Mary Belanger, 32, has been charged with second-degree murder.
Breana previously lived on Shoal Lake First Nation in western Ontario for three-and-a-half years with a foster family. They didn't want to give her back, but said she was returned to her birth mother about a year ago.
Now, her foster family is left wondering if the girl's tragic death could have been prevented.
"I wish we would have known. Maybe it could have been prevented," said Roderick Mandamin, foster grandfather to the young girl.
"I had concerns," said Louise Mandamin, Breana's foster grandmother.
The province said it also has concerns about the case.
"The facts…are disgusting," said Gord Mackintosh, the province's minister of family services.
Mackintosh has asked the Office of the Children's Advocate to prioritize an investigation.
CFS agencies in both Manitoba and Ontario were previously involved in the four-year-old girl's case.
Mary Belanger has a criminal record, including a conviction for prostitution. She was living with her boyfriend and two other children in a home in Stuartburn.
Sources said the boyfriend is heartbroken and believes the death was an accident.
He was apparently outside working in the yard and was told Breana climbed up on a counter and fell and was then punished by Mary Belanger, before the young girl climbed up again and fell once more.
RCMP continue to investigate the case.
