The biological mother of nine-year-old Amber Lucius, who was found dead in a vehicle near Sundre last week, has been charged with first-degree murder.
Laura Coward, 47, who is in custody, appeared briefly in Didsbury provincial court via closed-circuit television yesterday. She was wearing a black sweater, and was standing in the corner of a room sobbing quietly. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 6.
She was originally charged with break, enter and commit theft, as well as abduction in contravention of custody order. But yesterday (Sept. 8) the RCMP issued a press release stating those charges were “replaced” with the new first-degree murder charge.
On the same day, the deceased child's father, Duane Lucius, released a heart wrenching statement over the tragic loss of his daughter.
“I am devastated by the tragic loss of my innocent, sweet and lovely daughter,” said Duane. “The time I had with Amber was cut short, but the time I had with her will always be the most special time of my life.”
He said Amber was a lot of fun and that her entire community is affected by the tragic loss.
“Amber's death comes as a terrible shock to all those who had the honour of knowing her, including her family and friends,” he said.
“A parent never knows when a child may be taken from them, so I urge you to make the time to have fun with your children, and never take them for granted.”
A private funeral will be held later this week.
Coward was most recently living in Millet, Alta., but was arrested at the location where the break, enter and theft was committed, which was near where the vehicle was found. RCMP has not released the location of the break, enter and theft, or where the vehicle was found, as of press time Monday.
Police officers found Amber's remains in a vehicle on a rural road near Sundre sometime during the afternoon of Sept. 2. The Round Up has learned that Amber is not a student of River Valley School.
An autopsy was performed on Sept. 3 at the office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Calgary. The results to determine the time and cause of death of Amber were not released as of press time.
RCMP said police officers came across the vehicle while they were following up on a hang-up 911 call made on Sept. 2.
“She was located around the scene of the original 911 call that the police were investigating,” said Cpl. Sharon Franks, a spokesperson for the RCMP.
“It (call) was near where the car was found – that's how the police ended up finding the vehicle.”
Sundre resident Brenda Price said she saw the vehicle on a rural road near Sundre over the long weekend.
“I ended up not calling in (to the police) – I don't know who actually did,” said Price. “The vehicle had been there most of the weekend so I went down and checked it out and I decided – I didn't see anything – I just decided that I didn't want to – I don't know.”
RCMP said Lucius was not living with Coward full-time, and is unsure if she was living with her father full-time.
“The girl was with her mother at the time and she was being shared by both parents,” she said, adding police do not know all the details of the custody arrangements between the parents.
Sundre RCMP Cpl. Ryan Hodge said the investigation has been “sensitive”.
Meanwhile, parents of young children were expressing concerns on the Sundre and Area Buy and Sell Facebook page last week about what to tell their children of the situation. Other parents said they were disturbed by the situation.
“This is a significant tragedy to our community and a great loss. I think it goes without saying that there is a grieving family out there over the loss of this little girl,” said Sundre resident Amber Jenkins.
“Our community also grieves with shock and dismay at such a thing could happen in the town or near the town of Sundre. We send our deepest sympathies to her family.”
She also expressed concerns about the limited information available.
“We will all rest easier when the answers surrounding her are made public. Until then we will all hold our children closer and expect the community to be on high alert,” she said.
Sundre resident Sammy Brasnett is raising three children in town and says she is always telling them to watch out for “tricky people”.
“Tricky people are the people that ask kids for help, no adult asks a kid for help, or adults that tell kids to keep secrets from their parents,” said Brasnett.
“As a step mom who raises two kids as my own, it scares me to know what a biological mother would do.”
She expressed concerns about the situation happening so close to home.
“I worry about the people out there who I walk past everyday who might be the next person you see on the news that either hurt someone or was the victim,” she said.
“How do we raise kids in a world like this when I don't even know how to handle this situation myself?”
Comments on the Facebook page were ongoing as the investigation revealed pieces of information in the days following the event.
Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit South is continuing the investigation and officers are reviewing Amber Alert protocols.
Anyone with any information in relation to the incident is asked to call the Sundre detachment at 403-638-3675 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
