Manslaughter charge laid in girl’s death in 2018

Nearly two years after a three-year-old girl died, the Regina Police Service has laid a charge of manslaughter against a 33-year-old Regina woman.

Ashley Dawn Longworth was arrested Wednesday and charged in connection with the death of Zoey Hancock. Longworth made her first court appearance Wednesday afternoon.

The appearance was very quick, with Longworth being released from custody with a list of conditions. Those include that she not contact the little girl’s family and that she not work or volunteer in any way with child care for children under the age of 16.

Longworth ran the home daycare that Hancock attended.

Hancock’s parents were at the court appearance along with a lawyer they hired last summer when they felt like they hadn’t been able to push things forward any more.

“It has been a horrific two years waiting for something to simply start,” lawyer Kayla DeMars-Krenz said while speaking for the family.

She said it had been a difficult day, which was a long-awaited day for the parents.

“Nothing can really compensate for the loss of this joyful, precious little girl,” said DeMars-Krenz. “But hopefully the charges that are before the court will bring them some peace and resolution, eventually.”

DeMars-Krenz wasn’t willing to explain how Hancock died or what led to Longworth’s arrest now, saying she’s not prepared to comment while it’s still not before the court proper.

According to police, the investigation began March 20, 2018, when a 911 call was received just after 9:45 a.m. The caller said a three-year-old girl had been found unresponsive at a home in the 100 block of Montreal Street North.

Paramedics provided emergency care to the girl and then transported her to hospital, where she died.

In the course of their investigation, police and the Saskatchewan Coroners Service determined the girl’s death was a homicide. That led to Wednesday’s arrest.