Manitoba·NewA Winnipeg police officer says it was clear to him the home of a three-month-old girl who died with methamphetamine in her bloodstream in 2022 wasn’t safe for children, from the garbage and drug paraphernalia scattered around to the window left open on a frigid February day.Mother Alison Muise on trial in Winnipeg court for failing to provide necessaries of lifeCaitlyn Gowriluk · CBC News · Posted: Sep 04, 2025 7:17 PM EDT | Last Updated: 13 minutes agoAlison Muise is on trial after the February 2022 death of her three-month-old daughter. A court previously heard that while toxicology reports found meth in the baby’s bloodstream, an autopsy listed her cause of death as undetermined. (Chelsea Kemp/CBC)A Winnipeg police officer says it was clear to him the home of a three-month-old girl who died with methamphetamine in her bloodstream in 2022 wasn’t safe for children, from the garbage and drug paraphernalia scattered around to the window left open on a frigid February day.”It was freezing outside. My pen actually stopped working,” Det. Michael Klassen told Manitoba provincial court Judge Michelle Bright during the second day of the trial for Alison Muise. “That was just from being outside, so to have a window open was very confusing to me.”Muise is charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life after her unresponsive daughter was rushed to hospital and died in February 2022. Klassen, who investigated the baby’s death, said he now uses photos from the scene as examples when he teaches fellow officers what to look for on calls involving children, where officers must determine whether welfare authorities need to be called.”It’s actually heartbreaking to think that a child was living in this — let alone an adult,” Klassen said.A brief agreed statement of facts read in court later Thursday said notes taken by another officer at the scene had no reference to any smells in the home, or any signs of drug or alcohol intoxication related to either of the accused.A witness who testified in Muise’s trial Wednesday described scenes of chaos, violence and frequent drug use leading up to the baby’s death, adding the use of meth and other drugs at the home was common among the baby’s parents, himself and others.The baby’s father, Christopher Mattern, previously pleaded guilty to the same charge Muise faces and was sentenced last month to 21 months time served, plus two years of probation.The infant, Layla Mattern Muise, previously could not be identified because of a publication ban, which was lifted following a request from the Crown on Thursday. Court heard during the father’s sentencing that while toxicology reports found meth in the baby’s bloodstream, an autopsy listed her cause of death as undetermined. There was evidence the baby was born with respiratory issues and had caught COVID-19 during her first few weeks of life. An unsafe sleep environment was also noted as a condition that may have contributed to her death, prosecutors said at the time.Muise’s trial is scheduled to continue Friday.ABOUT THE AUTHORCaitlyn Gowriluk has been writing for CBC Manitoba since 2019. Her work has also appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press, and in 2021 she was part of an award-winning team recognized by the Radio Television Digital News Association for its breaking news coverage of COVID-19 vaccines. Get in touch with her at caitlyn.gowriluk@cbc.ca.Follow Caitlyn Gowriluk on XWith files from Vera-Lynn Kubinec
‘Heartbreaking’ conditions in home where baby died with meth in bloodstream, police officer testifies
