Northern Ont. child care worker charged with aggravated assault of five-year-old child

Police in northwestern Ontario have charged a 53-year-old female suspect who worked for an Indigenous child welfare agency with the serious assault of a five-year-old girl in 2021.

The woman worked for Wabaseemoong Child and Family Services at the time, but police would not confirm in what capacity.

"The child was under her care," Ontario Provincial Police spokesperson Lauren Perrier told CTV News in an email.

OPP, in partnership with the Treaty Three Police Service, arrested and charged the suspect Oct. 27 following a two-year investigation into the assault in Wabaseemoong First Nation.

"On Nov. 21, 2021, members of the Treaty Three Police Service attended Wabaseemoong First Nation to investigate injuries suffered by a five-year-old female," the OPP said in a news release Monday.

"Following the initial investigation, the OPP major case investigation team and OPP forensic identification services were assigned to collaborate with the Treaty Three Police, under the direction of the OPP criminal investigation branch."

The suspect was charged with aggravated assault, criminal negligence causing bodily harm, failing to provide the necessities of life and abandoning a child.

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The accused has been released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Kenora on Nov. 23.