Woman accused in child's drowning at Alberta lake opts to be tried by judge

STONY PLAIN, Alta. — An Edmonton woman accused in the drowning death of a five-year-old girl has opted to be tried by a judge alone.

Mary Quinn is accused of manslaughter and failing to provide the necessaries of life after the child died in October at Wabamun Lake, west of Edmonton.

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Quinn’s preliminary hearing is set to begin Oct. 21 in a courtroom in Stony Plain to determine whether there is enough evidence to justify going to trial.

RCMP had initially said a girl and a woman were pulled from the water after a canoe overturned.

The child died at the scene.

Days later, Mounties said they’d learned the canoe didn’t capsize and were treating the drowning as criminal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2025.

Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press