A 29-year-old Newmarket man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of his two-year-old son.
York Regional Police say the father called police shortly before 2:30 p.m. on Thursday and told officers his son was not breathing.
When paramedics arrived at the home on Longford Drive, police say the child was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Police say Mario Wint was arrested in Toronto on Saturday afternoon and is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Newmarket on Sunday.
According to police, investigators believe the child and his father were the only ones home at the time of the incident.
Const. Laura Nicolle told CP24 Saturday night that York Regional Police's homicide unit takes over any investigation involving the death of a child under the age of five.
Nicolle said charges were not laid against the father until Saturday because investigators were waiting on "various results."
According to Nicolle, in order to "preserve the integrity of other areas of this investigation," police will not be releasing the cause of death at this time.
A friend and neighbour of the man told CP24 he was a father of two children, ages two and four.
“He was just a wonderful father," Dave Nelson, one of Wint's neighbours, said.
“It is just something that no one ever expected around here."
