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<\/p>\nAs manslaughter sentencing got underway for the woman initially accused of first-degree murder in the death of a child under her care, the little girl\u2019s identity can finally be shared.<\/p>\n
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Nina Napope went missing from west Edmonton in April 2023 before being found dead a few days later in central Alberta.<\/p>\n
For years, the name of the child in the high-profile manslaughter case was withheld and her face disguised due to a publication ban but now, it has been lifted.<\/p>\n
Justice Jody Fraser lifted the publication ban on the girl\u2019s identity at the request of her family, who said Nina was kind and loving and that her siblings wonder where she is.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday in court, the family of the eight-year-old girl found in Maskwacis cried while reading victim impact statements during a sentencing hearing for Ashley Rattlesnake, the woman charged in the killing.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhen you go outside and feel the warmth of the sun on your skin, that was Nina,\u201d Napope\u2019s father wrote in a statement read in an Edmonton courtroom by the girl\u2019s grandmother, Starr Dumais.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy baby Nina was so full of life. She loved to dance and sing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dumais said in her own statement that Nina was her first grandchild.<\/p>\n
\u201cI watched her go through her first step, first word, first expression,\u201d Dumais told the hearing.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy heart is shattered.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tNina Napope, 8, died in April 2023 in Edmonton and her body was found in Maskwacis, Alta. a few days later.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tSupplied by family\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Rattlesnake was looking after Nina at the request of the child\u2019s father, who was behind bars. Court heard she suffered from chronic abuse and neglect while in the care of Rattlesnake.<\/p>\n
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Nina lived with her from September 2022 until her death from blunt force head trauma in April 2023.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t![\"Get](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767930311_275_national.jpg\")
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On April 24, 2023, police stopped by a home near 87 Avenue and 165 Street in west Edmonton to check in on the well-being of the child.<\/p>\n
Rattlesnake was drinking alcohol and using methamphetamine the night of the killing. Nina was found lying on the floor bleeding next to a hole in the wall, but it\u2019s not known how she sustained her fatal head injury.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1:59
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFamily of Edmonton girl slams reduced manslaughter plea in her 2023 death\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
When she was nowhere to be found, officers began investigating. There were \u201csuspicious circumstances,\u201d and EPS said the homicide section took over the case.<\/p>\n
Her body\u00a0was discovered in a hockey bag a few days later on Samson Cree Nation<\/a>\u00a0in Maskwacis, which is located about a one-hour drive south of Edmonton.<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n An autopsy found the girl died of blunt impact trauma<\/a>,\u00a0and the death was confirmed to be a homicide.<\/p>\n The autopsy also showed the girl was chronically abused. She had previous, multiple broken bones and injuries. She also had sepsis because of an untreated infected broken tooth, which reduced her chances of surviving the head injury.<\/p>\n Court heard Rattlesnake didn\u2019t call 911 and instead asked acquaintances for help. Four others were charged in the case.<\/p>\n Rattlesnake also cried as the victim impact statements were read in court.<\/p>\n Crown prosecutor Terry Hofmann asked for a nine-year prison sentence. The defence recommended eight years behind bars.<\/p>\n \n\t\tTrending Now\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\u2018It\u2019s clearly fake\u2019: Brady Tkachuk unhappy with White House video that insulted Canadians\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tTrump says Iran\u2019s leader \u2018is dead\u2019\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tNina Napope, 8, died in April 2023 in Edmonton and her body was found in Maskwacis, Alta. a few days later.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tSupplied by family\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Global News\u00a0spoke with a woman who called 911<\/a>\u00a0after hearing a rumour that a child may have been seriously injured or was dead.<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n She said her nephew told her he showed up at the apartment where the child was allegedly injured and saw an unconscious girl with a head wound in a bedroom and a dent on the wall.<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1772320964_459_387a61dfa392114d471125a7d0e08837c6854b3b0add3fa6e1dc56fb9b1298f3.jpg\")
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