People who know the B.C. babysitter accused of murdering a Cranbrook toddler this spring say they have a hard time believing she is capable of the crime.
Tammy Marion Bouvette, 28, has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of 19-month-old Iyanna Teeple. The little girl died in a Calgary hospital on May 29, three days after she was found unconscious and facedown in a bathtub in Bouvette's townhouse.
Bouvette's father Robert had little to say about the accusations, but appeared to be saddened when he spoke briefly with CTV News.
"She's got learning disabilities, OK?" he said.
Randy Fuller, an acquaintance of the accused, said he was in a state of disbelief about the charges against Bouvette.
"I don't think she deserves the charges. I think it was an accident," he said.
Since the death, the mother-of-four has voluntarily given up primary custody of her own children. She's also been charged with assaulting and threatening her parents.
Iyanna's father, Jason Teeple, says the family was aware that Bouvette had problems, but they always found her to be trustworthy.
"She is our regular babysitter. She has been for months upon months. We've used her countless times," he said.
The family suspects that Iyanna was simply left alone in Bouvette's bathtub.
"All we know is that she was left unattended in a bathtub for some period of time and she drowned," Teeple said.
Police say there are details of the investigation that won't come out until trial.
"They found evidence at the autopsy that we weren't aware of at the time, and that assisted us going forward," said Cpl. Chris Faulkner of Cranbrook RCMP.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Kent Molgat
