Calgary Police have charged the father and stepmother of Meika Dawn Jordan with second degree murder eleven months after the girl died.
Spencer Lee Jordan, 26, and Marie Eve Magoon, 22, were both arrested without incident on Sunday.
They were formally charged on Monday.
Police say the arrests of Jordan and Magoon were a long time coming.
“Whenever there is a victim in this case is a young child who is so vulnerable they really take it personally,” Duty Inspector Paul Stacey said on Saturday night.
“They really wanted to get some justice for Meika and I think with these arrests tonight, there is a sense of satisfaction that they are well on their way.”
Staff Sergeant Doug Andrus of the Calgary Police Service says it is very satisfying to make an arrest in the case. "Infant deaths tend to strike a chord with investigators, an emotional chord, some of whom have children of their own and I think this investigation struck a chord with the community."
On November 13 at approximately 7:15 p.m., police were called to the 6700 block of Temple Dr. N.E. for reports of a girl suffering from undetermined injuries.
The father and stepmother alleged that she had fallen down some stairs inside the home.
Meika Dawn Jordan was taken to hospital where she died the next day.
An autopsy was conducted the following day and officials found that she died as a result of multiple blunt force trauma injuries.
The death was then classified as a homicide.
Police have been working ever since the girl's death to collect as much evidence as they could on the incident.
Last week, police say that new forensic information revealed more signs of physical abuse allegedly suffered at the hands of her father and stepmother.
They say Jordan received third degree burns on her hand and finger.
Given the extra evidence, police have now discounted the story of the father and stepmother, ultimately leading to the charges.
Once investigators were on to their scheme, they quickly stopped cooperating.
The investigation heightened over the past few days and finally got to the point where they could lay charges in the death.
Jordan and Magoon have other children but they no longer have any custody of them.
Police say that caregivers tend to harm children in their care for different reasons, Andrus says.
“These reasons include bedwetting, crying, frustration or resentment. Caregivers are reluctant or embarrassed to talk to our investigators about these reasons.”
Last Wednesday, the mother and stepfather of Meika say the news came as partial relief.
Spencer Jordan and Marie Magoon are expected in court on October 9.
