7 more victims come forward in Alberta child abuse investigation, more charges laid Achi-News

Three weeks after Alberta RCMP released initial information about a “lengthy child abuse investigation,” the case has expanded to include more charges after seven new victims came forward.

At the time, three adults had been arrested, including Sherina Maria Handsor, 43, of Sandy Beach.

She was arrested on April 8 and charged with assault causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon and forcible restraint in connection with allegations of historical physical and sexual abuse of children in Edson between 2005 and 2011.

At the time, police said investigators believed the case was much bigger.

“We had a feeling there were other victims out there – that’s why we made our original news release and released photos of the suspects, in the hope that some victims who were holding on to this information might come forward,” said a public information officer. RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff said Tuesday.

Five new victims have come forward to the RCMP, alleging historic child abuse offenses while in Handsor’s care in Whitecourt and Quesnel, BC

RCMP said they have also identified two additional victims, making a total of seven new victims of suspected child abuse.

“I’m afraid we’re dealing with a lot of victims. There are many ages—I don’t know the specific ages of all of them. But they were all clearly young people,” Savinkoff said.

“These are very disturbing things that we are looking into.”

On April 29, RCMP charged Sherina Maria Handsor with 13 additional charges related to historical child abuse including:

• Seven counts of failure to provide the necessities of life
• Assault with a weapon
• An attack causing physical damage
• Three charges of assault
• Two counts of administering a poisonous substance

Handsor was taken before a justice of the peace and remains in custody. Her next court appearance is scheduled for May 1 in Stony Plain court.

Police said following the initial arrest of Handsor, the RCMP’s Serious Crimes Branch also arrested Nicole Kathleen Barrett, 45, of Whitecourt, Alta. in connection with the same investigation.

RCMP said the two women knew each other but could not say exactly how.

“I don’t know exactly what the nature of that relationship is, but everyone involved in this investigation is all connected. They all know each other,” Savinkoff said.

On April 24, 2024, RCMP arrested and charged Nicole Barrett with three counts of failure to provide the necessities of life and one count of assault.

Barrett appeared before a justice of the peace and was released on bail, including conditions restricting contact with the victims. Barrett’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 28 in Whitecourt court.

RCMP said information received during the investigation suggests there may be even more people with information about Sherina Handsor and Nicole Barrett’s involvement in alleged crimes against children.

“We still believe there could be more victims. We would like them to look at what is happening with these investigations, the fact that additional things are going on in court. And we’re asking all potential victims of this group or anyone else who may be involved, or who has information, to come forward,” Savinkoff said.

Savinkoff said police believe many survivors of childhood abuse live with their trauma in silence.

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“It’s one of those crimes, unfortunately, that doesn’t get reported nearly as much as we’d like. I think a lot of people hold on to that information or try to move on with their lives and not bring these things back up,” he said.

He hopes the news of the arrests and charges will give those survivors the courage to speak out.

“I think these (news releases) bring back memories for them, maybe things they’ve been dealing with and they’ve been quiet about.

“Maybe this is their chance. They are starting to realize how much it has affected them and they are deciding to come forward.”

Savinkoff noted that due to the historical nature of the crimes, many of the victims no longer live in the area where the alleged crimes took place.

Previous charges in case

Two other adults were also charged earlier this year in the investigation that began with the alleged historic crimes in Edson and expanded to include more recent incidents in Fort McMurray.

Jimmy Allen Fransen, 51, of Fort McMurray, was arrested on March 21 and charged with sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon, sexual interference with a child under 16, sexual exploitation, making and possessing child pornography .

The RCMP said that after Fransen was arrested, a second victim came forward in Fort McMurray with “unrelated allegations of child sexual abuse” in the northern Alberta city between 2017 and 2023.

RCMP investigated and laid additional charges against Fransen and Brenda Disher (also known as Brenda Fransen), of Fort McMurray, on April 6. Both have been charged with making, distributing and possessing child pornography, sexual assault, sexual abuse involving a child, sexual exploitation, and trafficking in people under the age of 18.

Both were released on bail with conditions restricting contact with children. They are expected to appear in court on April 29 in Fort McMurray, and Fransen is also expected to appear in court on May 7 in Edson.

If you have any information about these crimes or those responsible, call the RCMP Serious Crimes Branch at 780-509-3290.

If you wish to remain anonymous you can contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1‐800‐222‐8477 (TIPS) or online.

& copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.