PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Court heard Haskett worked on the case for two years, until 2017. Several years later (Haskett said it may have been 2021 but he was not sure), on the advice of a police officer friend, Haskett and his wife rented a trailer at the Our Ponderosa campground near Ipperwash Beach on Lake Huron. He said he became aware that Van Hoof and her husband Brian also had a trailer at the campground. He said he also knew that Nathaniel’s family (parents Van De Wiele and Kent McLellan) serviced the washer and dryer machines in a common area. Though no longer directly involved in the case, which had been taken over by the OPP, Haskett said he was careful to keep clear of the Van Hoof family. He said he never had any interaction with Nathaniel’s parents at the campground."
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STORY: "Strathroy detective denies connection to babysitter during his investigation of Nathaniel McLellan’s death," by Chief Investigative Reporter Kevin Donovan, published by The Toronto Star on February 12, 2026. (Kevin Donovan is the Toronto Star’s Chief Investigative Reporter. His focus is on journalism that exposes wrongdoing and effects change. Over more than three decades he has reported on the activities of charities, government, police, business among other institutions. Donovan also reported from the battlefields in the Gulf War and the war in Afghanistan following 9/11. He has won three National Newspaper Awards, two Governor General’s Michener Awards, the Canadian Journalism Foundation award and three Canadian Association of Journalists Awards. As the Star’s editor of investigations for many years, Donovan led many award-winning projects for the paper. He is the author of several books, including “Secret Life: The Jian Ghomeshi Investigation” and the “Dead Times” (a fiction novel).)
SUB-HEADING; "The families would end up at the same trailer park, but detective said he didn’t know Meggin Van Hoof when he was involved in the investigation."
PHOTO CAPTION: "Meggin Van Hoof is on trial for manslaughter in the death of 15-month-old Nathaniel McLellan. She has pleaded not guilty."
GIST: “The first Strathroy-Caradoc police detective on the Nathaniel McLellan manslaughter case didn’t know the accused babysitter at the time the investigation began but their families ended up at the same trailer park years later, a London, Ont., trial heard.
Det.-Sgt. Chris Haskett told court the first time he met babysitter Meggin Van Hoof was when he went to her Strathroy home on the first day of the investigation, Oct. 27, 2015.
Van Hoof is on trial for manslaughter in the death of 15-month-old Nathaniel. She has pleaded not guilty.
Earlier this week, Crown attorney Meredith Gardiner had obtained permission from presiding Judge Michael Carnegie to cross-examine Haskett — her own witness — on whether or not he had any connection with Van Hoof or her husband. Court heard earlier that Nathaniel’s mother, Rose-Anne Van De Wiele, has expressed concerns that some of the Strathroy officers were friendly with the Van Hoofs. As the Star has reported, Strathroy police initially focused on Nathaniel’s parents as suspects.
Haskett testified that he had never met Van Hoof until he was dispatched to her home a few hours after Nathaniel had been rushed to hospital that Tuesday in 2015. Court has heard that Nathaniel had been dropped off by Van De Wiele at 8:30 that morning at the bungalow where Van Hoof ran an unlicensed daycare. Nathaniel became unwell and “collapsed” at Van Hoof’s, court has heard. Van Hoof called Van De Wiele at the school down the street where she taught, then carried the toddler to rendezvous with his mother. Nathaniel died several days later died of a massive head injury.
Court heard Haskett worked on the case for two years, until 2017. Several years later (Haskett said it may have been 2021 but he was not sure), on the advice of a police officer friend, Haskett and his wife rented a trailer at the Our Ponderosa campground near Ipperwash Beach on Lake Huron.
He said he became aware that Van Hoof and her husband Brian also had a trailer at the campground. He said he also knew that Nathaniel’s family (parents Van De Wiele and Kent McLellan) serviced the washer and dryer machines in a common area. Though no longer directly involved in the case, which had been taken over by the OPP, Haskett said he was careful to keep clear of the Van Hoof family. He said he never had any interaction with Nathaniel’s parents at the campground.
Pressed by the Crown to disclose any contact with the Van Hoofs, Haskett said that the day he first brought his trailer to the campground, his friend, a police officer, knew Meggin Van Hoof’s husband Brian and the friend asked for help putting Haskett’s trailer in the right location.
“Brian ended up getting in the truck and moving the trailer,” Haskett recalled. On another occasion at the park (their trailers were close) Haskett said he was driving his golf cart around the camp. Brian Van Hoof “pulled up beside me and tried to (make) small talk and I just told him I didn’t wish to associate with him.”
Meggin Van Hoof was charged with manslaughter in June 2021. Haskett was unable to pinpoint when he and his wife first rented the trailer.
He said his wife was also aware that, because he had been involved in the investigation, he wasn’t “comfortable” associating with the Van Hoofs. Haskett said if there was a social event at the park, such as a barbecue, he would either “go to the other side or just leave.”
Much of the allotted trial time for Wednesday and Thursday was taken up by legal wrangling. Carnegie, at the end of Thursday’s proceedings, said: “At some point in time, we have to move on.”
The trial continues Friday."
The entire story can be read at:
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AMFINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
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