ManitobaA Manitoba woman who tried to get help for days before stabbing her infant son to death while in psychosis last year has been found not criminally responsible in the boy’s death. Mother believed she was following God’s directions to kill her son to protect him from harm, court hearsCaitlyn Gowriluk · CBC News · Posted: Nov 17, 2025 7:06 PM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.An aerial shot of Wasagamack First Nation and its nursing station in October 2024. (Tyson Koschik/CBC)A Manitoba woman who tried to get help for days before stabbing her infant son to death while in psychosis last year has been found not criminally responsible in the boy’s death. The woman, who can’t be identified along with her son because of a publication ban, was charged with second-degree murder after her son was found dead in a home run by child welfare authorities in Wasagamack First Nation in February 2024.Court heard Monday the mother of five stabbed the boy to death, and later told police she believed Child and Family Services was holding her family hostage and feared they wanted to take her children from her and abuse them.“She stated that her baby did not deserve that, but she wanted to put his life in God’s hands in heaven,” Crown attorney Alanna Littman said, adding the woman, who has since been diagnosed with schizophrenia, also said that at the time, she “heard God whispering, ‘I see you.’”The woman, now 27, was brought into court in shackles, and sat quietly throughout the hearing, where prosecutors and defence lawyers jointly recommended Court of King’s Bench Justice Sarah Inness find her not criminally responsible, because she believed she was following God’s direction to kill her son to protect him from harm.She broke down in tears as Littman described the sometimes graphic witness statements given by her other children who were in the home at the time of the stabbing, including one who told a child welfare worker “it’s OK, mommy sent him to heaven,” as the children were led out of the home after the stabbing.1-year-old boy found dead in Wasagamack First NationCourt heard the woman has been getting treatment and gaining insight into her diagnosis since being arrested, feels significant guilt and remorse and has at times experienced suicidal thoughts as a result of killing her son.Littman said child welfare authorities got involved with the family about two weeks before the boy’s death, after the mother reported that her daughter had been assaulted, to provide support to allow the girl to be interviewed in Winnipeg.The First Nation, about 470 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, has a population of about 2,000 and can only be reached by boat or helicopter.In the days leading up to the boy’s death, welfare authorities got several reports of the mother wandering around the community with her children, not dressed appropriately for the weather — and as a result, gave the family temporary housing in a Child and Family Services housing complex in the community, Littman said. While living there, the woman got a series of medical exams at the community nursing station, including mental health examinations. Staff repeatedly called to try to secure a treatment bed for her outside the community, but were told none were available. In the meantime, the woman was told to keep returning the next day for reassessment.Spot falls throughThe day before the boy’s death, staff in Wasagamack were told a bed was available for the woman at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre, and a Form 4 for an involuntary psychiatric assessment was submitted for her.“The facts on which the physician based their opinion … were specifically noted in the form as hallucinations, psychosis and at risk of further deterioration, which can negatively impact her children,” Littman told court.While a Medevac arrived in the community to transport the woman that afternoon, staff in Wasagamack got a call that there was a delay in the bed being available at Selkirk. They tried to get her a bed at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre, but were told they couldn’t accept her either, Littman said. Woman charged with 2nd-degree murder after death of 1-year-old boyThe woman was then returned to the housing complex, along with two temporary workers hired by child welfare authorities to watch her and her children in the meantime. The next morning, they woke up and found the woman had killed her son.Defence lawyer Caleigh Glawson called the case “horribly tragic” and questioned why, when no beds were available, “the only alternative was to have [the woman] stay in a CFS placement, given how she was presenting at the time.”“People around [her] knew something was wrong,” Glawson said.Justice Inness also questioned the steps taken in the case, saying while a loss of life is always difficult, “in the context of this loss there is an unexplained gap — a gap in the system where [this woman] fell through.”“The loss of her son at her hands occurred despite repeated efforts by her on a daily basis, including the day prior to the killing, to get help at the nursing station in her home community,” Inness said. “Why wasn’t there a bed for [her] in one of the psychiatric hospitals after a Form 4 psychiatric assessment had been ordered by a doctor? Why wasn’t [she] transported to an emergency room, awaiting a bed in a psychiatric hospital, when the Medevac was in the community?”The woman’s case will now be referred to a review board, which will determine the next steps.WATCH | Manitoba woman found not criminally responsible in 2024 killing of infant son :Manitoba woman found not criminally responsible in 2024 killing of infant sonA Manitoba woman who tried to get help for days before stabbing her infant son to death while in psychosis last year has been found not criminally responsible in the boy’s death.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 X
Mom fell through the cracks before killing son, judge says in finding her not criminally responsible
