Inquiry dates set for infant death

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The dates for a fatality inquiry into the death of a 13-month-old Mikisew Cree First Nation boy have been set for June 9 to 11, in Fort McMurray and June 12 and 13, in Edmonton. Skylar Waquan died on Aug. 16, 1996 at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton. The death came less than a month after the infant underwent an operation to repair an umbilical hernia. That operation was performed at the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre in Fort McMurray on July 25, 1996. After returning twice with their son to the health centre, parents Angela Watling and Edwin Waquan were told their baby had necrotizing fasciitis - a bacterial infection causing the tissue found between the muscles to die. It is a fast-spreading infection which usually ends in death. The inquiry will determine the exact cause of death.