Bloodvein First Nation celebrates life of 2-year-old who died from injuries in January

Members of Bloodvein First Nation gathered connected Easter Sunday to observe the beingness of Jessiah Prestige Young by bringing retired cake, singing and releasing balloons connected the time that should person been her 3rd day celebration.

The two-year-old's beingness was chopped tragically abbreviated connected Jan. 24, erstwhile she was taken to a nursing presumption successful the eastbound Manitoba assemblage with superior injuries and pronounced dormant soon afterward.

Her grandma and superior caregiver, 56-year-old Burma Skye, was charged with second-degree execution connected Jan. 29.

Skye has not entered a plea. Her adjacent tribunal quality is scheduled for May. 

The girl's decease near the assemblage devastated and searching for answers, said Jessiah's aunt, Roberta Goosehead. 

Goosehead, whose member is Jessiah's father, said she wanted to observe Jessiah's April 20 birthday so the assemblage could retrieve the joyousness she brought to their lives, and to retrieve a little miss who was conscionable learning her ABCs, who loved dancing and singing, and hugged everyone she met. 

"I don't lone privation them to retrieve the atrocious stuff. I privation them to retrieve the bully worldly too," Goosehead said.

WATCH | Community sings to observe toddler's life:

She cared for the two-year-old for astir 9 months aft Jessiah's ma was arrested. 

In October, Jessiah moved successful with her grandma aft Goosehead had difficulties uncovering kid attraction during the time portion she was astatine work.

While Jessiah was surviving with her, Goosehead had been scheduling visits with Skye, who is Jessiah's maternal grandmother. Skye had regained custody of different small miss related to Jessiah, truthful Goosehead thought the two-year-old would beryllium harmless successful her care.

But soon, Skye chopped disconnected visitations and stopped returning Goosehead's messages. Goosehead thought it was due to the fact that Skye didn't get on with immoderate members of her family.

Skye antecedently struggled with addiction, but Goosehead said she didn't spot immoderate signs she was utilizing again.

"If she was struggling to support her, she should person contacted maine and I would person picked her up," she said. 

"We loved Jessiah. I would person jumped close distant and would person gotten her."

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'We wanted to springiness her a celebration'

Then, portion successful Winnipeg for a aesculapian treatment, Goosehead got a call from Bloodvein Chief Lisa Young connected Jan. 24 to archer her that Jessiah had died.

"It was very, precise hard for each of us," said Young, whose assemblage is connected the eastbound broadside of Lake Winnipeg, astir 215 kilometres northeast of the metropolis of Winnipeg. 

"Losing a kid similar that is hard to adjacent comprehend."

When Young recovered retired Jessiah's day was coming up, she felt it was important to people the day to assistance the assemblage heal.

"We knew that she wasn't going to beryllium present to observe it. We wanted to observe for her," Young said. 

Pink T-shirts were made with a representation of Jessiah successful the centre and handed retired to everyone successful the assemblage connected Sunday afternoon. More than 200 balloons, with candy tied to the bottom, were blown up for the kids astatine the celebration.

That was important to Goosehead, who said she knew the candy would marque the kids happy.

WATCH | 200 balloons released astatine solemnisation of Jessiah Prestige Young's life:

Before they released the balloons, the assemblage members smudged the gymnasium and offered songs, including 1 that came to a assemblage subordinate that time arsenic she thought of Jessiah and different astir a polar bear. Then they sang Happy Birthday to Jessiah.

"Jessiah's nonaccomplishment was a large 1 successful the community, it not lone affected america arsenic the family, but the full community.… Across this nation, her sanction is being heard," Goosehead said astatine the opening of the ceremony. 

"So today, we wanted to springiness her a celebration."

They went outside, clad successful their pinkish T-shirts, counted to 3 and released the balloons into the sky, celebrating Jessiah's life.

Goosehead said she wants radical to observe the toddler, to retrieve the airy she brought to everyone's beingness and to retrieve her name.

"We're conscionable going to instrumentality it time by time and conscionable support her representation alive."