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.


To contact a reporter for this story, email Georgina Whitehouse or call 250-864-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.

Georgina Whitehouse

Storytelling illuminates the world. Georgie is a British reporter, currently living in the
Okanagan. After studying for one year at UBCO, Georgie graduated from the University of
Exeter with a first-class honour’s degree in English with Study in North America. For her, the
Okanagan is an area brimming with possibility and filled with a diverse and lively community.
Through her writing she hopes to shine a light on the people who live here and give voice to
those who’s stories might have been unheard. Culture, art, and community fuel her
interests, as she works to uncover what makes the Okanagan so special.

More Articles