Sentencing for the woman who buried the body of her newborn in a basement

The woman who buried the body of her newborn in a basement last year was sentenced on Monday. She was given time served and three years probation.

24-year-old Winnie Ensor didn’t know she was pregnant, in February of 2021, she gave birth to a baby girl in her pants. The baby died either at birth or shortly after. She and her boyfriend, 35-year-old Nathan O’Brien, buried the baby in the basement of a home they were squatting in on Wellington Street North.

A friend of the couple was there for the burial and reported it to the police. The couple was arrested and taken to jail. Ensor pleaded guilty to disposing of her child’s body with intent to conceal that she had given birth. The charge of criminal negligence causing death was dropped.

Both the defense and Crown agree Ensor had a difficult life. She and her partner were homeless and addicted to street drugs. Ensor received a psychiatric assessment at St. Joseph’s Healthcare. They determined she suffers from a substance abuse disorder, and has a mild to moderate intellectual disability. She has anxiety and depression related to previous traumatic experiences.

The baby’s cause of death still hasn’t been determined. The forensic pathologist says it could have been a stillbirth, complications due to unassisted delivery, the methamphetamine in the baby’s system, or the cold environment.

Ensor stood up in court today and said, “when I speak about this stuff I go into tears. I can’t talk about the baby thing. I get overwhelmed.”

Ensor’s lawyer said, “she verbalized desire to better her life and expressed willingness to get help.”

The judge called the incident deeply disturbing and said “children are our most precious assets.” But, she doesn’t believe that Ensor is a threat to society. Ensor was sentenced to three years probation and was given 90 days credit for the 160 days she served in jail. Nathan O’Brien was already sentenced in January to time served and 12 months probation.