APTN National News
SASKATOON — At the funeral home Chris Martell couldn’t recognize his 22-month-old son because his little body had been so badly disfigured by third degree burns.
Martell knew at that moment that his son Evander Lee Daniels’ foster home death was no accident.
“I seen him and he was third degree burnt head to toe, except his diaper area and his skin is burnt. I couldn’t recognize him,” said Martell. “I know it wasn’t no accident after that.”
Saskatchewan RCMP have since charged 45-year-old Aberdeen, Sask., foster mother Eunice Wudrich with criminal negligence causing death and endangering the life of a child.
Martell said the charges present one small step down the path to justice for his dead son.
“I feel a bit relieved that there have been some charges laid and finally I can get some answers to how he passed. I just want to know what happened,” he said.
Daniels was left in a bathtub filled with scalding hot water for about 45 minutes before he drowned in an Aberdeen foster home.
The death was the second so far this year of a small child taken from Sturgeon Lake First Nation and put into foster care.
An inquiry into Daniels’ death will be held following the end of the criminal trial.
Wudrich was released from custody and is expected to appera in Saskatoon court on Sept. 9.
“It will be a long year, the inquiry and also my fight for changes- a whole overhaul in the social services system in Saskatchewan,” said Martell.
I don’t know what it will take to get people to really screen their foster parents, some are there, just for the money. But, there are some out there with a genuine heart and take in these children as their own. I see this also, passing the buck, so to say, getting these children into a safe home, so they think. No one knows what goes on behind closed doors…..Alot to think about…this is why I watch my son and I rarely leave him with anybody…but family…not even in a daycare.
as long as the canadian government posses the legal authority and power of the state over indian children we will see different variations of the interpretation of the indian act regarding our children. under canadian law the state through provincial powers and laws still claim the right and power to apprehend indian children as it did the industrial, residential, sixties scoop and present policies that effect indian life.
i predict nothing will come from this. the courts will exonerate her, change her name and have her move next door to the killer of leo lachance.
It is a complicated system, that foster care. But! As parents we need to be the FIRST line of defense for the safety of our own children. Social services should not be involved but there must be a reason that brought them there in the first place. Let’s look at the first thing, us, parents. Our we willing to give our lives for our children? Maybe, but a lot are not. A lot of people won’t quite smoking when they are pregnant (both mom & dads) and won’t give up the drink. So let’s start there. Do we have the right to bitch and moan about our children in Foster care, when our actions put them there? I know lot of them are put in the foster care too quickly, but let’s start at what brings Social to our home in the first place.
Its disgusting and disgraceful and upsetting to see our little children being abused and killed and the culprits being let go, sometimes with a slap on the wrist. rnThe Social Services is just an extension of the Residential School era…our children are taken away so quickly and non-natives have so many chances before their children are removed from the families. Social Services chooses when they will follow the protocol they are supposed when a child is potentially to be removed whereby they are supposed to go to the families, extended families and then to the tribe to try keep the child with their roots and if there is no one to take them then they enter the system. I’ve seen and endured Social Services bypassing this protocol. Where our leaders to stand up for these children? For our families? For our people?rnPerhaps their pockets are so full they can’t stand up…forgot the focus and only have tunnel vision now…we as a people must stand together and fight this. We must ask for action, proper treatment, proper investigations, proper interview process, criminal checks,etc. for potential foster parents. Can you imagine how powerful a people we would be if all of the First nations’ people stood together as one instead of fighting each other for the pennies we get? Can you imagine? The government would have to listen to us if we could only put away our own prejudices, hurts, hates, jealousy, competitioin and work and stand together and make the world a better place for our generation and future generations of our people. rnOur little ones are paying the price for faulty policies within the Social Services system and how many more must pay before we wake up?
It is disgusting how