Grandmother charged in death of ‘lovable’ toddler

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This article was published 31/01/2025 (225 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG — Jessiah Young was a cheerful toddler who liked to hug.

“She was just a really happy baby,” said Roberta Goosehead as she fought back tears while she described her late niece.

“She longed for those long hugs and she was really lovable.”

The girl, who would have turned three in April, was taken to the nursing station on Bloodvein First Nation on the evening of Jan. 24, suffering from serious injuries. She later died, RCMP said Thursday.

The incident launched a police investigation that culminated in a charge of second-degree murder being laid against Burma Skye, 56, the girl’s grandmother, on Wednesday.

Jessiah was the daughter of Goosehead’s brother, who asked Goosehead to become Jessiah’s primary caregiver some time after her birth, she said.

Goosehead — who had two of her own children in Bloodvein — cared for Jessiah until October, when she began having challenges finding babysitters to accommodate her work schedule.

She decided it would be best to place Jessiah in the care of Skye, who she said was the girl’s maternal grandmother.

It was the last time Goosehead saw the child, she said.

“Even though she was living in the same community, (Skye) still cut off that contact with me and my partner and my family,” Goosehead said. “We did send messages to see her and she would not respond to us.”

Goosehead said Skye struggled with alcohol use in the past, but had seemed to get the issue under control. The grandmother was already caring for Jessiah’s older sister — the daughter of Jessiah’s biological mother — when the toddler was placed in her care, she said.

“I figured that, because she was doing so good and getting her other grandchildren back, that Jessiah would be good there as well; that she would be safe there.”

Goosehead said she does not know what led to Jessiah’s death.

Police said they were alerted by nursing station staff after the toddler was pronounced dead. Investigators executed a search warrant on her grandmother’s home the following day.

An autopsy in Winnipeg Monday confirmed the toddler died as a result of a homicide, police said.

“It’s heartbreaking, and if I didn’t say people were emotional, crying … I’d be lying, because it’s been very, very difficult,” said RCMP major crimes Sgt. Laura LeDrew, who is leading the investigation.

“It’s pretty raw for us investigators, and we’re just trying to get through and make sure there’s justice for the little one. She was a beautiful, sweet little creature, from all the pictures we saw.”

LeDrew said RCMP have informed child and family services about the slaying and are working with child welfare officials during the investigation. The girl was not under CFS care, LeDrew confirmed.

She would not say whether the girl had been abused or whether there were issues with domestic violence or other problems at the home.

“This little girl had been taken care of wonderfully for a period of time and was very well loved by many people, and that probably gives me, personally, and our team, a little bit of relief,” said LeDrew.

She would not say how the girl was injured, including whether a weapon was involved.

RCMP are not certain when the girl was injured.

Investigators looked at photographs and spoke with neighbours, nurses and the girl’s family members.

“We were able to uncover some other evidence through other means and it painted quite a clear picture for us of exactly what happened, but it does involve a lot of different moving parts,” said LeDrew.

LeDrew said Bloodvein is a small community where people tend to know each other.

“This is disgusting in any sort of community. I don’t think anyone imagines this happening to a child, but I don’t know how the community’s going to move forward from something like this,” said LeDrew. “It’s kind of unimaginable — the people all do know one another.”

Bloodvein Chief Lisa Young, who is related to Jessiah, sat by Goosehead’s side as she spoke with reporters Thursday.

Young was among the first to learn about Jessiah’s death, and broke the news to Goosehead last week, she said.

“We are saddened by this tragic loss, and we are here to be as supportive as possible,” she said, speaking on behalf of the community.

Jessiah’s family lit a sacred fire in Winnipeg in her honour on Saturday, and it burned until Tuesday, Goosehead said.

The grieving aunt is making arrangements for the toddler’s funeral.

She said Jessiah was an intelligent, vibrant girl who loved music and dancing.

“That’s something that we did. I would blast my music and she would just dance,” she said, wracked with sobs.

Jessiah had two siblings on her mother’s side, and five from her father. She was the youngest child in the family, Goosehead said.

Court records from 2022 show Skye has four adult children and was caring for two young grandchildren.

The little girl’s slaying marks the first homicide of 2025 in Manitoba. The First Nation is about 285 kilometres north of Winnipeg, on the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg, on the Bloodvein River. About 1,100 people live there.

The remains of another First Nations girl, Xavia Butler, were found in a barn in the Rural Municipality of Grahamdale in June. RCMP have said the death of the one- or two-year-old girl was being investigated as a homicide. No charges have been laid to date.

In February 2024, a Wasagamack First Nation woman was charged with second-degree murder in the death of a one-year-old boy. Jayna Knott, 26, was remanded in custody.

» Winnipeg Free Press, with files from Dean Pritchard