Canadian man accused of poisoning two toddlers, one fatally, with toxic breakfast cereal

Authorities in Canadian have charged a man in connection with two young children eating toxic breakfast food and one dying.

Toronto Police allege Francis Ngugi, 45, accessed a “controlled substance” from his work and put it into cereal, which two toddlers then ate during a sleepover.

On March 7, Maurine Mirembe wrote in a GoFundMe post about her fatally poisoned 3-year-old daughter, Bernice Nantanda Wamala, the little girl “woke up playful as usual, had breakfast and played with a friend.”

“She quickly grew weak, vomiting ... and by the time I rushed to get to her, she was barely breathing, and looking ashen," the mother recalled.

Both children were hospitalized, but Bernice passed away.

“The doctors ran numerous tests and couldn't find out what was killing her,” Mirembe wrote. “After multiple resuscitation attempts by the doctors, Bernice was taken off life support.”

The second child, police said, survived and recovered after a lengthy hospital stay.

Police noted the suspect and the two victims were “known to each other” but did not elaborate, the CBC reported.

Ngugi was arrested on June 19 and charged with two counts each of administering noxious substance to endanger life and unlawfully causing bodily harm as well as one count of criminal negligence causing death.

Law enforcement officials said they are investigating if Ngugi may have purposely poisoned the two children or it was an accident.

Mirembe wrote she plans to lay her daughter to rest in Uganda, Africa, “where our heritage is, and where she would be at peace.”