Abandoned Toddler Case, Family Of One Of The Accused Killer’s Speaks Out

The abandoned toddler that was discovered dead beside the Good Shepherd Anglican Church in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada last week has been identified as Anthony Raine. One of the two that have been arrested for murdering the toddler had family that saw him just hours before he was likely left at the church and they have spoken to the media.

The abandoned toddler was found by the church on April 21, 2017, and police say that he was likely there for about three days before he was found. They estimate that he was left there on April 18, 2017. It is believed that the toddler died of head trauma before he was abandoned beside the church.

The father of the toddler, Joey Stanley Crier, aged 26, and his girlfriend, Tasha-Lee Mack, aged 25, were both arrested and charged with second-degree murder. They also have charges of criminal negligence causing death and failing to provide the necessities of life. Other charges include assault and assault causing bodily harm. The two will appear in court later this month.

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Crier and Mack, before being arrested for the death of the abandoned toddler, had spent the night and part of the day at Mack’s mother’s house, where her mother lives with Terry (full name not disclosed upon request). Terry said that he acted as a father figure to Mack. According to Global News, Terry says his gut dropped as soon as he heard the news. He fears for the safety of the family since Mack’s full name has been released to the media, so he has not revealed his last name or her mother’s name.

Terry said this.

“Society has already made their judgment without having all the facts, and that’s the hardest part.”

Terry said that although Crier and Mack and the child were staying under his roof, they had not actually seen the toddler at any time. When they came in the toddler was bundled up and in the stroller. Crier and Mack took him downstairs to put him to bed because he had been up late the night before and they took turns checking on him. When they left the next morning, he was already bundled up again. Because of this, they don’t know if the toddler was alive at any point when he was staying in the house or when he left.

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Terry said that when he returned home later that day, Crier and Mack were there but the toddler was not and they told him that he was staying with his auntie.

It was three days later when they were watching the news when Terry began to have suspicions. He was watching the news when he saw the clothing and recognized it and he said, “The shoes, I saw the shoes. Right there, flags went up in my head.”

He found Crier and Mack and her mother in another room watching the same news and Crier and Mack acted like they knew nothing about the toddler that had been abandoned by the church. Crier just said that he felt sorry for it.

It was the very next day that Crier and Mack were arrested for the murder of Anthony Joseph Raine, the toddler that had been abandoned by the church.

Terry described Mack as a “quiet girl, who likes to sit at home on her computer, didn’t do drugs and was never violent.”

Mack’s mother said, “I hope the truth comes out. Rest in peace, little buddy.”

Global News also spoke to Joey Crier’s sister, Andrea Crier. She spoke about the abandoned toddler, her nephew, with tears. She said, “I’m really, really devastated…I hope he didn’t lay there and suffer…that poor little boy…I felt sick to my stomach…it’s really heartbreaking.”

Andrea Crier went on to say that the the couple charged with murder of the abandoned toddler had been couch surfing for a time and the toddler was with them. They had stayed with her up until Monday morning.She believed that they were using drugs and she had criticized her brother’s lifestyle and they had gotten into an argument. That was when they left. Crier said he wanted to go to Mack’s mother’s place to get away from the drama.

Brandi Raine, the sister of the toddler’s mother, Dalyce Raine, said that the child was supposed to be with his father for a “short visit” while the mother was in school. The toddler had been with his father for a little over a month, according to Brandi Raine, before he was abandoned beside the church.

It is important to remember that not all the facts have been revealed, but how do you feel about this abandoned toddler?

[Featured Image by fermate/iStock by Getty Images]