Murder Of 3-Month-Old Infant In Calgary: Daniel Nel, Father And Pastor, Charged

The father of a 3-month-old infant, Daniel Nel, has been charged with second-degree murder. He was an associate pastor at the Rockyview Alliance Church.

The 3 month-old-infant was born Cyrus Nel and he was the first child of Pastor Daniel Nel and his wife Leah. Cyrus was born in good health and celebrated by the community. According to the Calgary Herald, Cyrus’s birth came at the same time that the Garnett family (Leah’s family) was celebrating the “100-year anniversary of their original homestead near the hamlet of Carseland, east of Calgary.” The family was receiving their Alberta Century Farm and Ranch Award.

It was only three months later that emergency crews were called to the family home in 2015. They found the infant in medical distress on August 31, 2015. The infant died the next day.

The investigation into the murder of 3-month-old infant, Cyrus Nel, took almost two years, but on Friday, May 12, 2016, Insp. Don Coleman had a news conference to announce that Daniel Nel, the father of the 3-month-old-infant, had been charged with second-degree murder, Global News announced.

Daniel Nel was put on administrative leave from his position as a pastor at the Rockyview Alliance Church when it was learned that the death of the 3-month-old infant was being treated as a murder and that Nel had been taken in for questioning. On Friday, May 12, 2017, Nel’s license was suspended, according to the spokesperson of the Western Canadian District (Alberta) of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, Doug Balzer.

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When the 3-month-old infant’s death first took place, the tight-knit community rallied around the family. There was no mention of a possible murder at the time. Community members donated to a fund to assist the family in dealing with the loss of their first and only son. The entire community was shaken, as were others in nearby towns and cities. The death of a child so young always seems to be unnatural and provokes sadness in everyone’s heart. They had no idea at the time just how unnatural young Cyrus’s death really was and that murder would be the cause of death several years later.

Daniel Nel, father of the infant, who now stands accused of second-degree murder, never let on that there was anything to worry about in 2015. Only two months after the 3-month-old infant died, he wrote on his Facebook profile.

“As his father I wanted to teach him how to ride his first bike, Leah wanted to take him swimming…On a deeper level, we wanted to see our son grow up into a man of integrity, a man of courage, and a man who loved God more than anything.”

Coleman told media that he was unable to reveal any of the details regarding the cause of the death of the 3-month old infant because there was “no plausible explanation” at that time.

The parent organization of the Rockyview Alliance Church commented on the murder of the infant via email, saying that they would be praying for all involved in the situation.

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At the Nel home in Taradale, Alberta, Canada, there is no sign of anyone home. Leah Nel, the mother of the infant is nowhere to be seen and Daniel Nel, the father accused of the murder of the 3- month-old infant is in jail in Calgary. His first court appearance will be on May 24, 2017.

A neighbor to the Nel family, a grandfather, said that there were several vehicles there and that people were taking out boxes and bags. He said that he could remember the mother of the 3-month-old infant sunning outside on a blanket with her child.

More details will be revealed about the murder of the 3-month-old infant, Cyrus Nel, in the future.

[Featured Image by Tatyana Vic/Shutterstock]