Two teenage boys charged with attempted murder after an alleged assault at the Elk Island Youth Ranch remain in police custody and will appear in court on Wednesday.
The two boys — aged 14 and 15 and both residents of the ranch — were denied bail on Monday. Both suspects will appear in Fort Saskatchewan Youth Provincial Court on Wednesday, RCMP said in a news release.
RCMP say the two boys assaulted a woman with a weapon inside a building at the ranch east of Edmonton just after 11 p.m. on Saturday, then fled in a stolen truck.
RCMP were called at 1:15 a.m., about two hours after the woman was assaulted. The woman, a caregiver at the ranch who is in her early 60s, was seriously injured and taken to hospital in Edmonton by STARS air ambulance.
The woman remains in hospital in stable condition, RCMP said on Tuesday.
The truck that was reported stolen from the ranch has since been found.
Because the investigation is now before the courts, RCMP say they will not be providing any more updates.
OHS investigation underway
Occupational Health and Safety are also involved in the investigation and were on scene gathering evidence and conducting interviews at the ranch Sunday and Monday. The workplace investigation will focus on staffing ratios, including whether the injured woman was working alone at the time of the attack.
In a statement issued Monday, the facility’s management acknowledged the weekend incident and said it will continue to cooperate with “any and all investigations” of the RCMP, Children’s Services and Occupational Health and Safety.
The the safety of staff, residents and the community is of “the utmost importance to our organization,” the statement said.
“Even when every precaution is taken, unexpected incidents can occur, and we have procedures in place to support an appropriate and rapid response. At this time, our focus is on supporting the injured staff member, staff who responded and the youth in our care.”
The two suspects have been identified by staff, but cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Both boys are previously known to police.