‘A perfect baby girl’: Inquiry examines methamphetamine death of Edmonton infant – CBC
Briella Johanne Brooks was 33 days old when she died in 2019
Dec 11, 2023
A month-old baby girl who died of drug poisoning in 2019 was an innocent victim of the methamphetamine epidemic overtaking communities in Alberta, a fatality inquiry has found.
In her report, Justice Jody Moher of the Alberta Court of Justice implores the provincial government to take action in aftermath of the death of Briella Johanne Brooks in July 2019.
“A perfect baby girl with blue eyes and fine dark hair, who was only 33 days old on the day she died, cannot have died without all of us knowing of her loss,” Moher wrote in the report, published Monday.
“We must all stand for her so that the profound tragedy of her death from methamphetamine poisoning is known. WE must do more,” Moher added, capitalizing “we” for emphasis.
She said Briella’s case should prompt improvements in public awareness around the dangers drugs can pose to children.
She also called on the province to ensure the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) is better equipped to investigate the rising number of suspected overdoses.
