Alberta RCMP say the death of a five-year-old at Wabamun Lake is now the subject of a criminal investigation

Alberta RCMP announced Thursday that investigators no longer believe the death of a young girl at Wabamun Lake over the weekend was caused by an overturning canoe and that a criminal investigation into the incident is underway.

Police said officers were called just before 3 p.m. Sunday about a capsized boat on the lake – located about 70 km west of Edmonton. At that time it was assumed that there were two people on the boat.

They said a young girl was rescued from the water by passers-by before police and paramedics arrived. The five-year-old girl died despite paramedics’ life-saving efforts.

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According to police, the other person in the canoe was a 35-year-old woman who was pulled from the water by someone on another boat at the time of the capsizing.

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Young girl dead after canoe overturns on Lake Wabamun: Alberta RCMP

“RCMP have now learned that the watercraft did not capsize and are continuing to treat this fatal incident as a criminal investigation,” police said in a news release issued Thursday.

“RCMP is asking for public assistance from anyone who was in the area between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., may have witnessed this drowning, or has drone footage of the area to contact Parkland RCMP at 825-220-2000.”

Police said anonymous tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

– with files from Karen Bartko, Global News

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