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More than two years after Jessica Matwiy's four-month-old daughter was killed, police have charged her ex-fiance with manslaughter.
The lengthy police investigation into the death of Emilia Elizebeth Matwiy has weighed heavily on the young mother.
"I've been waiting a very long time," Matwiy, 23, said yesterday.
"This has finally been the last piece to this puzzle and I just can't believe it," said the grieving parent, adding she's pleased a charge has finally been laid in the tragic case.
Police have charged Daniel Vernon Berge, 23, of Calgary, with manslaughter, a lesser charge than murder, which means death wasn't intended.
Berge surrendered peacefully to police when they arrived at an Airdrie home to arrest him Thursday afternoon.
Emilia died Aug. 5, 2007, four days after being rushed to the Alberta Children's Hospital suffering serious head injuries.
An autopsy revealed she died as a result of cranial trauma and resulting brain injuries, but investigators couldn't confirm whether Emilia was violently shaken.
Matwiy had been planning to marry Berge on Aug. 11, 2007, but the wedding was called off after Emilia's death and she since hasn't been in contact with the accused.
He is not the biological father of either of her two children, but had been living with them at the time.
The relief of having someone finally held responsible for Emilia's death doesn't ease the pain of living without her second daughter, she said.
"Watching her try her first food and taking her first steps, I'll never get that," said Matwiy, breaking down in tears.
"No matter what, nothing is going to bring my daughter back."
Matwiy is working to build a better future, having returned to school to study medical administration, but there's a gaping hole in her family.
Her seven-year-old daughter often talks about how much she misses her baby sister.
"She's had a very difficult time with this," said Matwiy.
Acting homicide Staff Sgt. Rick Tuza said it took more than two years to lay a charge because it was a complicated case. "The anatomy of a child is significantly different from that of an adult," he said, adding the autopsy results took more than a year.
"The processes that we go through to determine the child's death are extremely extensive and complicated."
TARINA.WHITE@SUNMEDIA.CA