Inquiry examines death of girl in foster care

A fatality inquiry is looking into the death of a 13-year-old disabled girl who spent most of her life in foster care.

Samantha Martin died of a heart attack in December 2006, five months after she began living full-time with her biological family.

The girl had a rare chromosomal abnormality called Tetrasomy 18p.

Doctors told the Martin family Samantha would never lead a normal life, her mother Velvet Martin told the inquiry.

Shortly after Samantha was born, her parents put her in foster care upon the advice of workers from the provincial department of Childrens Services, Martin said.

Childrens Services told them Samantha would have access to better medical treatment, said Martin.

The Martin family claims Samantha was mistreated while in foster care. When Samantha visited the Martin home she was starving, Martin said.

She would check Samantha for bruising finding one bruise that stretched from her eye socket to her chin, she said.

At one point during the inquiry Tuesday Martin blurted out to the foster parents, "It's difficult to be in this room especially when you're smiling at me."

The inquiry, scheduled for two weeks, will look into the cause of her death and circumstances leading up to it.