To tell a story, you often need to go right back to the beginning.
That鈥檚 the first thing the Star鈥檚 chief investigative reporter, Kevin Donovan, did when he sat down for an interview in Parkhill, Ont. with Rose-Anne and Kent, parents of 15-month-old Nathaniel McLellan, who died October 2015 under mysterious circumstances after being dropped off at a home daycare.
Donovan鈥檚 work on the case led him in front of a judge 鈥 where he argued that documents from a police investigation into Nathaniel鈥檚 death be unsealed. His request was granted, leading Donovan to a treasure trove of more than 1,000 pages of police documents and down a winding, four-year path to uncover what really happened.
鈥淜evin Donovan has been recognized internationally for the work he鈥檚 done in gaining access to court records and in the pursuit of open justice,鈥 said Anne Marie Owens, Editor of the Star. 鈥淭his Death in a Small Town series and its impact on the justice system shows just how important it is for journalists to continue to push hard for open courts and open justice.鈥
The McLellan family. Left to right. Kent, William, Noah, Luke, Gabe, Bella, Rose-Anne. Rose-Anne and Kent are the parents of 15-month-old Nathaniel McLellan, who died October 2015 under mysterious circumstances after being dropped off at a home daycare in Strathroy, Ont.
McLellan family photoNathaniel鈥檚 parents have spent years looking for answers into what happened to their son and have criticized the lack of action from the justice system.
The publication of Donovan鈥檚 five-part series appears to have led to the first movement on the cold case in years, with the arrest of daycare-operator Meggin Van Hoof, 42, Wednesday morning. She has been charged with manslaughter.
While he expected action on the case, Donovan said he didn鈥檛 think it would come just one week after the series launched. For Rose-Anne and Kent, the arrest offers Nathaniel a voice nearly six years after his death.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e the important ones here,鈥 Donovan said. 鈥淭hey feel pleased that the system has taken a major step.鈥
The fast action on the case in the wake of the series may pave the way for similar outcomes for the media in the future.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a case where you can say that documents unsealed led to the 鈥 海角社区官网Star being able to publish information, and within a week police lay the charge,鈥 Donovan explained.
鈥淜evin鈥檚 extraordinary work demonstrates what the Star has argued time and time again before the courts: media reporting facilitates public scrutiny of our justice system, and leads to greater accountability,鈥 said Emma Carver, legal counsel for the Star. 鈥淭his cannot happen without transparency and open access to court documents.鈥
鈥淲e are incredibly proud of the team at The Star who helped bring this story to light,鈥 said Star publisher Jordan Bitove. 鈥淭he team has once again demonstrated the huge impact that the relentless pursuit of trusted news can have on society. We cannot bring young Nathaniel back, but we can honour him and his family by doing everything we can to tell the family鈥檚 story.鈥
Speaking about the quick arrest, Donovan said that in his opinion, it鈥檚 not uncommon for police to say they鈥檙e working on an investigation while offering no new information. 鈥淏ecause the 海角社区官网Star published the story, the police took another look at the case and came up with a result.鈥
Kevin Donovan, the Star’s chief investigative reporter, spent four years investigating the mysterious death of a toddler, which led to a five-part investigation titled “Death in a Small Town” published in June.
海角社区官网Star FileThough his reporting has often brought him to court to argue for the release of documents 鈥 most recently, to the Supreme Court of Canada to unseal the estate files of slain billionaires Barry and Honey Sherman 鈥 Donovan said unsealing Nathaniel鈥檚 documents was more straightforward than other investigations.
鈥淚 was expecting there was going to be an argument, but ultimately there wasn鈥檛.鈥
The investigation offers insight into the justice system that the public doesn鈥檛 usually see, Donovan said. Specifically, he added, this case highlights the 鈥渢unnel vision鈥 that can come with police investigations, where investigators have suspicions about what happened but don鈥檛 look for other possibilities. In this case, police focused their attention on the McLellans.
鈥淲hat makes this project unique is that it鈥檚 a small story that resonates with everybody,鈥 said Donovan. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about the justice system. It鈥檚 about a pair of parents and a mother鈥檚 fight for justice. And that鈥檚 what resonates with readers.鈥
As a parent, Donovan could empathize with Rose-Anne and Kent and felt others could put themselves in the shoes of having 鈥渏ust another day鈥 before something happens that drastically alters the course of your life.
The tip about Nathaniel鈥檚 case came from an unlikely connection to a sister-in-law of Kent鈥檚, whose daughter Donovan had previously coached in soccer. After a conversation with the McLellan family, Donovan began door-knocking to conduct witness interviews before applying in court to obtain the search warrant documents used in his investigation.
Later, Donovan would find that Rose-Anne and Kent had secretly recorded meetings with doctors that assessed Nathaniel. The finding took him by surprise, but proved a crucial part in piecing together his investigation.
Search warrant documents unsealed following Donovan鈥檚 court challenge showed Nathaniel鈥檚 parents and Van Hoof, the unlicensed daycare provider, were three 鈥減ersons of interest,鈥 but not suspects in the case.
The story, despite Van Hoof鈥檚 arrest, is far from over, said Donovan. There are still documents, including police interview notes and their recordings, yet to be unsealed.
Like many articles, not all of Donovan鈥檚 sources were mentioned in the series. Everyone he spoke to, though, stood out for their transparency and willingness to walk through each detail of what happened, he said.
鈥淚 found them to be very credible. They told the truth and they put their name to it, so I thank them for that.鈥
With files from Ann Marie Elpa and Irelyne Lavery
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