Month-old baby dies in CFS care, family seeks answers
A Colombian family wants answers after a new-born baby seized by Child and Family Services in Winnipeg died after just a month in care.
Matias De Antonio was seized by CFS workers in Winnipeg just two days after he was born on Feb. 24.
Carlos Burgos said his family was contacted by CFS when his sister was five months pregnant.
According to Burgos, a social worker told the family she had reason to believe the expectant mother was mentally unfit to care for her child.
“She called me, she said, ‘Carlos I talked to my supervisor. We made a decision. The baby is going to be apprehended,’” said Burgos.
A month after the baby was seized, he died.
The family only knows that Matias died from lack of oxygen to the brain on March 27.
Burgos said his sister, who is from Colombia, did have visitation with her son that day. She saw him for one hour at a CFS office.
When she left, the boy was put in a car seat, covered in a blanket and then driven for 38 minutes to his foster home.
Burgos said the family was told when the driver got out to get Matias, he was blue.
“I held the baby when he was already dead and noticed a scratch on his eyebrow, and I got more mad because I asked them to take care of my nephew, and they didn’t,” he said.
Burgos now wants to know what happened.
CBC contacted CFS and was told officials could not comment on the case.
Provincial officials released a statement on Tuesday that said there are a variety of review processes that may be undertaken.
“When a child in care dies, the first priority is to find out what happened and what changes can possibly be made to improve the safety of our most vulnerable children,” the statement read. “The chief medical examiner reviews any death and has the ability to call an inquest as needed.”
The statement also said the powers of the province’s children’s advocate have been expanded “to independently review any death of a child in care or receiving services within the last year.”
Finally, the statement said, “Depending on the circumstances, a provincial investigator may also be asked to review the death.”
