‘Mom’ stabs toddler girl to death, tosses her lifeless body in garbage can

Prosecutors have criminally charged a Canadian woman in connection with the death of her 2-year-old daughter, the National Post reports.

Audrey Gagnon, of Quebec City, faces a second-degree murder charge for allegedly stabbing the girl, Rosalie, to death.

The mother also faces a charge of committing an indignity to a body after disposing her daughter’s lifeless corpse in a garbage can, the newspaper reports.

Gagnon, 23, stood before a judge Friday morning and was already facing charges of arson, breaching probation and obstructing a police officer, according to the CBC. Authorities discovered the child in the garbage at a suburban home on April 18, but investigators suspect the crimes happened the previous day.

Police were called to the scene after someone discovered an empty stroller by a park. Gagnon was nowhere to be found, but police located her with a man. She was later interviewed by police and then released.

Medical staff pronounced the girl dead in a hospital where an autopsy concluded that she died from stab wounds.

Gagnon reportedly harmed herself when she was taken into police custody, but the injuries were not life threatening. Mourners held a silent march for the girl on Tuesday as the province’s minister for youth protection indicated she would initiate a probe into the death of the girl.

Prosecutor Melanie Dufour said Gagnon will stay in jail until she returns to court in June.

“It’s a second-degree murder charge and I think it speaks for itself,” Dufour said.

[Feature image: Audrey Gagnon, Rosalie Gagnon/Quebec City Police Service]