Charlottetown woman charged in deaths of two infants

A 39-year-old Charlottetown woman is facing charges in the deaths of two babies, according to Charlottetown Police.

As a result of a year-long investigation by the Charlottetown Police Services Major Crime Unit, the woman has been arrested and charged with two counts of infanticide, two counts of failing to seek assistance in child birth and two counts of disposing of the dead body of a child with intent to conceal the fact it had been delivered, a news release said.

The charges relate to incidents from 2014 and 2016, the release said.

According to Deputy Police Chief Brad MacConnell, the investigation into the deaths began in March 2017.

"We had a report of a person concerned with what turned out to be the accused … being pregnant on a couple of occasions and those pregnancies not resulting in her having children," he said.

"That started the investigation and from there over the last year and several months we've been working to build our case and find the answers to the questions as to what happened during those pregnancies."

Bodies of both babies still not found

MacConnell said investigators believe the babies were born alive, but that the two infants were deceased sometime later and "put in the waste."

Despite the year-long investigation, police still haven't been able to find the bodies.

"Officers and investigators are working with Island Waste Management to see if it's possible to locate the remains," MacConnell said.

"A lot of our waste goes to the incinerator on Prince Edward Island so we're not sure if that's going to be a possibility at this point."

The investigation is ongoing to find the bodies. The babies' cause of death will be revealed in court, MacConnell said.

According to MacConnell, the maximum penalty for infanticide is five years, and the charge of disposing the remains carries a two-year maximum term.

The woman will appear in court on Thursday, July 19.

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