Two people charged in death of North Okanagan child

After an investigation into the death of a child in the North Okanagan, RCMP Southeast District Major Crime Unit and the BC Coroners Service have announced that two suspects have charged.

On April 2, 2020, Vernon North Okanagan Rural RCMP were called to assist BC Emergency Health Services at an address in the Lumby area, according to an RCMP media release issued today, Oct. 31.

A child was taken from the property and flown by BC air ambulance to Kelowna that evening. 

The child was pronounced dead in the early hours of  April 5, 2020. RCMP do not say how old the child was.

RCMP Southeast District Major Crime Unit and the BC Coroners Service launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the child’s tragic death.

As a result of the investigation, on Oct. 26, 2023, Keisha Marie McCrea, 29, and Brian William Chciuk, 23, were each charged with one count of failure to provide the necessities of life.

Both accused are scheduled to appear in Vernon Provincial Court on Jan. 4, 2024.

To respect the privacy of the deceased, the RCMP said that the boy’s name will not be released.

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