11-year-old dead by suicide, one of 13 who’ve died in Alberta child welfare system so far this year
Global News
Critics of the child apprehension industry say keeping track of deaths and serious injury in the system is pointless if accountability doesn't follow.
As a family buried an 11-year-old Cree boy who killed himself while in the care of Alberta Children’s Services, the urgency for one of his family members to get custody of her own daughter back from the system has increased to desperation.
“The system is a beast,” said the family member, who can’t be identified because of Alberta child protection laws.
Dejai Baptiste’s family member says he spent nine of his 11 years of life in foster care. She says she was informed that on March 3, he left his Calgary foster home and killed himself.
The province of Alberta tracks and posts the number of children and young adults who’ve died or been seriously injured while receiving services from child welfare agencies. Statistics show Dejai is one of 13 young people who have died in the system already this year, including three infants.
The family member who spoke to Global News has mourned, not only Dejai’s death while in care, but two of his other relatives who died in the system too. Meanwhile, she’s fighting to get her own child back.
“I want her home before something happens to her too,” said the woman.
His family says Dejai was apprehended in 2014, after which, his parents spiraled deep into addiction. Within a year his mother Dawns Baptiste was raped and murdered. He was orphaned in 2021 when his dad died of an overdose.
Two other family members from Dejai’s family have also died. Relatives say Kara Baptiste aged-out of the system but was receiving extended care from Alberta Children’s Services when she fell off a 12th floor balcony to her death in 2019.