Mother Of Toddler Found Dead Outside Church, Attacked On Social Media

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A community in central Alberta are fuming that strangers are using social media to attack the Mom of a toddler who was found dead near a church last month.

19-month-old Anthony Rain’s body was discovered on April 21 outside the Good Shepherd Anglican Church in Edmonton. Police said the boy had bruises all over his body and died from a severe blow to his head. The father, Joey Crier, 26, and Crier’s girlfriend, Tasha Mack, 25, face charges of second-degree murder, criminal negligence causing death and also failing to provide the necessities of life and assault.

Members of discussion groups on Facebook have blamed the boy’s biological mother, Dalyce Raine, and her family for his death.

“His mother had no clue or concern as to how her baby was living,” reads one post. “A child who had no voice was murdered because not one person in his family reported what they knew.”

Another post suggests the child probably had fetal alcohol syndrome and should have been put up for adoption while another accuses the family of misusing money raised in a GoFundMe campaign for the child’s funeral.

“They are sick people taking advantage of people’s generosity,” reads the post. “I see a trip to Vegas in their future.”

Luci Johnson, who’s a community worker with the Samson Cree First Nation, said that the messages are full of hate and are putting pressure on a family that is still mourning Anthony’s death.

“They are blaming the mother, saying it is her fault,” Johnson said.

“It is ugly. She just lost her little guy. All these people across the world judging her. They never even gave her time to grieve.”

Johnson said she wants to file a hate crime complaint with RCMP, but there is little the Mounties can do as it’s difficult to confirm who posts messages on Facebook.

Crier briefly appeared in court this week and is to appear in court again on June 5, while Mack’s case has been postponed to May 29.