Inquest into daycare drowning ends; deliberations begin
Posted Dec 5, 2012 06:29:44 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA, Ont. – The jury is deliberating after seven days of testimony into the death of Jeremie Audette, 2, in a backyard pool. In July 2010, Jeremie drowned in a pool at an unlicensed Orleans daycare.
The woman taking care of Audette on the day he drowned, Cynthia McLellan, said she had taken her eyes off Jeremie for two or three minutes while she put swimsuits on the other children in her care. Jeremie was found minutes later face down at the bottom of an above-ground pool.
When asked by the coroner what measures she had in place to ensure safety, McLellan said she had told the kids not to go into the pool. She said she would also do frequent head counts of the children in her care.
The 15 day inquiry, looking into the circumstances around the drowning, started Monday, Nov. 26 at the Elgin Street Courthouse.
The jury, made up of three men and two women, will now make recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths, but can not assign legal or criminal responsibility.
