Court hears Chelsea Whitby's interview with police the day after her arrest

Chelsea Whitby, 27, sat in the prisoner’s box as she watched back her interview with police the day after she was arrested and charged with manslaughter in her 18-month-old son’s death.

Whitby, who was 24-years-old at the time, told the police officer she never imagined her life would turn out this way when she was 12-years-old.

She is now standing trial for second-degree murder in the death of her son, Emerson, after her charges were upgraded.

“They [doctors] said someone hurt him, but I don’t know who that someone is,” Whitby told the officer.

Whitby hired a lawyer before she was ever told she was a suspect in her son’s case. The officer told her it was “very odd behaviour when someone is not accused of doing anything wrong.”

Whitby said she sought legal help under the advice of her mother because they were scared.

In the weeks before her arrest, Whitby believed police were trying to pin her son’s death on her and her late-boyfriend Taylor Stewart, according to a phone call intercepted by police in July 2020.

Emerson was 18 months old when he died from blunt force head trauma on June 10, 2020. Six weeks later, Stewart died by suicide.

In the days following Stewart’s death, Whitby and her mother, Lisa Virtue, phoned an unidentified woman who appeared to be a psychic medium. Whitby was trying to connect with Stewart.

Police intercepted the call and it was played back in court on Tuesday during Whitby’s second-degree murder trial.

Whitby broke down on the phone and blamed herself for Stewart’s death.

“He was the only reason I was still here after Buggy [Emerson] and now he’s gone,” she said. “Losing my son and boyfriend within six weeks, I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”

Whitby believed police would blame Stewart for Emerson’s death since he was no longer alive to defend himself.

The medium questioned why police would do that and asked if Stewart was guilty. Whitby told her Stewart would never do anything to harm the toddler.

“No one hurt Buggy. He was sleeping and didn’t wake up,” Whitby said.

Whitby was arrested and charged with manslaughter in August 2020, two months after her son’s death. She’s now standing trial for second-degree murder after her charges were upgraded.

Police brought Stewart in for questioning the day after Emerson’s death.

Stewart’s statement was consistent with previous statements and witness testimony heard in court.

Emerson returned home from his father’s care the night before, Stewart told police. The toddler vomited. Whitby called her mother to come over and they put Emerson to bed after he was feeling better.

Stewart told police that he and Whitby fell asleep on the couch that night instead of in the bedroom with Emerson. However, he said neither of them heard the boy fuss in the night.

Stewart said he was out running errands when Whitby found her son unresponsive in bed.

“What do you think happened to him?” police questioned.

“I have no idea,” he said.

At the end of the police interview, Stewart agreed to a polygraph test should officers need one for the investigation.

He later scheduled a lie detector test for July 20, 2020. That day police found Stewart’s body east of Regina.

The pathologist who performed Emerson’s autopsy is expected to testify on Wednesday.

The trial is scheduled until April 14.