A 21-year-old Victoria man has been charged with the manslaughter of an infant. He is being held in custody.
The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit and Victoria police are investigating the suspicious death of a baby less than six months old who was discovered with a man at a downtown Victoria McDonald’s restaurant Saturday.
B.C. Ambulance Service paramedics called police at 8 a.m. when they found a baby was not breathing. Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.
“Our officers have been working all night on this case — they’ve certainly spoken to the suspect, the person who’s been charged [and] they did note how the baby was deceased, and those things definitely caused them some concern,” said Const. Mike Russell, Victoria police spokesman.
The baby was being looked after at an apartment in Esquimalt, said a neighbour who didn’t want his name published. A Victoria police car was parked outside the Esquimalt apartment building Sunday afternoon.
Police believe the death is suspicious “in the nature the infant died,” said Russell. The child’s mother, who lives in Greater Victoria, has been notified of the death.
Russell said he wasn’t aware if the baby had siblings or if the Ministry of Children and Family Development had any involvement.
Russell would not elaborate on the cause of death. The man had taken the baby in a stroller on the No. 14 bus to downtown Victoria. Police have already spoken to a number of witnesses outside the restaurant.
Detectives would like to talk to anyone who rode the No. 14 B.C. Transit double-decker bus downtown between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. Saturday. The officer to contact is Det. Const. Phil Davies at 250-380-6273.
