The father of a four-year-old girl who died last year after she was injured in a southeast home is now facing a second-degree murder charge in her death.
Police were called to a home in the 0 – 100 block of Erin Ridge Road SE at about 3:30 p.m. on December 19, 2014 for reports of a young girl in medical distress.
Olive Rebekah Oluwafemi, 4, was found by emergency crews in cardiac arrest and was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead a short time later.
Olive’s death was ruled a homicide in January of this year and investigators believed her injuries were inflicted within the family home and were not the result of play, an accident, or from efforts to resuscitate her.
“We were initially informed that Olive had fallen down the stairs,” said S/Sgt Colin Chisholm, CPS Homicide Unit. “The cause of death was blunt force injuries.”
The girl’s father, Oluwatosin Oluwafemi, 39, of Keswick, Ontario, was arrested in that province on Tuesday and was flown back to Calgary.
“In all child deaths and infant deaths, the medical evidence, as far as pathology goes, takes extra long to come back and that was the case in this file,” said Chisholm. “We had investigators fly out and, in conjunction with York Regional Police, arrest Mr. Oluwafemi and he was transported back here the same day and interviewed here yesterday and through the night.”
Police say the accused left the city within weeks after Olive's death.
"Mr. Oluwafemi was definitely our suspect from the beginning,” said Chisholm. “It goes to show people that these are extremely important investigations. We have a very vulnerable victim in this case. We have a four-year-old who nobody is apparently speaking for so it’s very satisfying when you can bring an investigation with this type of impact to a successful conclusion.”
Oluwafemi was charged on Wednesday with second-degree murder in connection to his daughter’s death.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, December 10, 2015.
Police say they don't expect to lay any further charges in the case.
