Woman charged in child abuse investigation

A Calgary mother has been arrested and charged following an investigation by the Calgary Police Service Child Abuse Unit into an online video.

On Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019, police received multiple tips from the public related to a live-streaming video that had been captured through an online gaming website. The video showed a woman playing a game, while roughly handling her young children. The woman is alleged to have slapped, pushed and bitten her 14-month-old son during the course of the video.

The online persona was tracked to a Calgary residence where officers located a woman, a man, and two children. The woman was arrested and the children were taken to a safe location.

The 31-year-old woman has been charged with one count of assault. She will next appear in court on Friday, Jan. 17, 2020. The woman’s name will not be released to protect the identity of the child.

“We want to thank the public and the media for bringing this video to our attention. When you find a video such as this online, it is very important that you report it to police, and not just share it throughout social media platforms. In this case we were able to act swiftly to locate the children to ensure their wellbeing, thanks to those who quickly reported the video,” says Child Abuse Unit Staff Sgt. Peter Siegenthaler.

Anyone who has information about incidents involving child abuse is asked to report it to the Calgary Police Service non-emergency phone number 403-266-1234. Tips can also be left anonymously through Crime Stoppers:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477
TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org
APP: "P3 Tips" App

Case #19540713/3743