Father wants answers in toddler’s death

Chris Martell remembers his 22-month-old son as a “good little boy”. He plans to honor him by continuing to demand answers to questions surrounding his death while he was in the care of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Social Services.

“Everybody wanted to be with him… He listened, he ate everything you put in front of him,” said Martell of his son Evander Lee Daniels who died June 8, while in foster care on a farm near Aberdeen.

An autopsy concluded that Daniels had died from drowning. It was also reported the child was found with scald burns on his body, which may have contributed to his death.

The Saskatoon RCMP Major Crimes Unit is investigating the incident, where the child died while in the care of foster parents who were responsible for a total of five children-four foster children and one offspring.
As of Sage press time, no other details surrounding the incident have been released.

Martell worries that his son was not receiving proper care from the foster family, due to the number of children in their home whose ages are unknown.

The Saskatchewan children services manual suggests that most foster homes should be responsible for fewer than the maximum of four foster children; however, if four children are in one home, no more than two may be under 24-months-old.

The death of the child has prompted statements from both the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) and the chief and council from Sturgeon Lake First Nation, where the boy was a band member.
Daniels was the second Sturgeon Lake First Nations child within six months to die while in care.

“The Ministry of Social Services has a legal and fiduciary duty and obligation to provide children entrusted in its care with a standard of care that guarantees a safe and loving environment where the child’s health and best interest is paramount,” said FSIN Vice-Chief E. Dutch Lerat in a press release. “The family and the Sturgeon Lake community, rightly, have an expectation that their children should not have to die nor be critically injured while entrusted in the care of the Ministry of Social Services.”

Lerat has also publicly demanded for Social Services Minister Donna Harpauer to provide details surrounding the death of both children.

On June 18, Martell travelled to Regina to meet with the Minister Harpauer to show her pictures of his son, who he had spent three days with the weekend prior to his death.

“All they told me was that changes will be made and that they are sorry,” described Martell of the meeting.
Sage called the office of Minister Harpauer for comment, but calls were not returned.

Saskatoon RCMP say they are waiting for the coroner’s report, which they expect to receive near the end of July, before they release any information on the investigation.
Martell, who has one other son Cody, 3, said he plans to hire a lawyer to help him conduct his own criminal inquiry into the death of his youngest son.

On July 9, Martell will spend three days walking from Saskatoon to Prince Albert for a charity to raise money for his legal expenses. Martell has named the 130-kilometer walk, “Justice for Evander”.

A member of the US Military, Martell said his son was placed in a foster home as a temporary measure until his mother was better prepared to care for him.