Man charged with murder in death of foster child

Meghan Hurley

THE foster father of a 13-month-old boy who died while in care has been charged with second-degree-murder, RCMP said Wednesday.

Cameron Ouskan was taken to Gillam Hospital on Nov. 12 in life-threatening condition. He was later transported to Thompson General Hospital, where he died.

An autopsy determined that Ouskan's death was a homicide, but RCMP won't release further information.

"We're not releasing the cause of death right now," said RCMP spokeswoman Line Karpish. "There are some investigation steps that have to happen."

The cause of death might be released after the child's 29-year-old foster father is interviewed by police, Karpish said.

The boy was in the care of Awasis, an aboriginal child and family services agency that serves 12 First Nations. He was a member of Fox Lake, a small First Nation of about 125 people about 50 kilometres south of Gillam.

He is one of at least 16 kids in care or with open Child and Family Services files who died from homicides, suicides or accidents since March 2006.

Ouskan was in foster care in Gillam for 10 months before his death.

He was removed from his foster home by CFS authorities in September with a bite mark on his cheek and "flaccid" legs, possibly as the result of healed fractures, sources close to the case recently said.

After a month living with another foster family, he was returned to his original foster family. He died there two weeks later.

The RCMP serious crime unit is looking into a separate incident that sent Ouskan to hospital in August 2008.

As a result of the incident, Gillam RCMP received a complaint about child abuse.

Roderick Blacksmith was arrested near Cross Lake on Tuesday following an investigation by the RCMP serious crimes unit. He has been charged with second-degree murder.

meghan.hurley@freepress.mb.ca