Missing baby presumed dead after father charged with killing mother in St. Albert, Alta., police say
CBC
A man is facing charges in the death of a young mother in the Edmonton area and the presumed death of their missing nine-month-old daughter.
Police said Thursday that 23-year-old Ayla Egotik-Learn was found dead in her apartment in St. Albert, Alta., after police were called on Jan. 23 after a report of a suspicious item.
Early in the RCMP's investigation, officers learned that Egotik-Learn's nine-month-old daughter Braylee Beasley was missing, said Insp. Wayne Stevenson of the Serious Crimes Branch.
Stevenson said the RCMP presume the nine-month-old is deceased and have “some understanding” of where her remains are located.
“Investigations like this are a reminder that every successful investigation begins with a tragedy. A woman and her child should be planning tomorrow, not being mourned today," Stevenson said.
Police arrested Christopher Beasley, 33, on Tuesday and have charged him with one count of second-degree murder and two counts of indignity to a body. The second-degree murder charge pertains to the death of Egotik-Learn, police said.
RCMP believe Egotik-Learn, originally from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, was killed on Dec. 5, 2025.
Beasley is the infant's father and was in a common-law relationship with Egotik-Learn at the time of the homicide, police said. Court records show that at the time of Egotik-Learn's death, Beasley was on probation for assaulting her last year.
Beasley received 18 months of probation after he pleaded guilty to assaulting Egotik-Learn in 2025. He faced three other charges involving Egotik-Learn, in early 2025, but they were withdrawn.
Chantel Klengenberg had known Egotik-Learn for years and often saw the young mother during her frequent visits to visit family in the remote hamlet of Kugluktuk, Nunavut.
Klengenberg said Egotik-Learn split much of her time between Cambridge Bay and Kugluktuk, keeping close ties with childhood friends and close relatives.
Egotik-Learn was a bright, outgoing young woman who was always smiling, Klengenberg told CBC News on Thursday.
“She always spoke with everyone who she saw and put a smile on everyone's face,” Klengenberg said. “Her laugh was very contagious.
“She laughed, and then everyone's laughing along with her.”
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