Man charged with second-degree murder in death of 3-year-old

Calgary police have a man in custody after nearly a year-long investigation into the death of a three-year-old girl.

Ivy Wick died on October 5, 2017, in a Calgary hospital after spending just over a week in critical condition. She was taken to the hospital by emergency services on September 27, 2017, where doctors found that her injuries were not consistent with a fall of any kind.

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It was later determined through an autopsy that Wick died from blunt-force trauma and that she had additional non-fatal injuries on her body that were consistent with physical abuse.

Wick had been living with her mother and her mother’s partner at the time of the incident, though the man was not her biological father.

The man, 25-year-old Calgarian Justin Bennett, has now been charged with second-degree murder relating to the child’s death.

The Calgary Police Service had put out a plea to the public last week, asking anyone with information on Wick’s well-being prior to her hospitalization.

“Our homicide investigators have worked tirelessly to hold the alleged offender accountable and lay charges in this case,” said Staff Sergeant Martin Schiavetta of the CPS Homicide Unit in a release.

“No matter how much time has passed, we are committed to making sure that each homicide is investigated thoroughly to bring justice for the victims. We were fortunate to have the assistance and cooperation from multiple agencies to bring this file to a close, including resources from the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre.”