‘I wanted to see what happened’: Father of toddler secretly recorded meeting with accused in manslaughter case

The father of deceased toddler Nathaniel McLellan secretly recorded the woman accused in his death, he testified Wednesday. CTV’s Nick Paparella reports.

In the months after Nathaniel McLellan died, the toddler’s father Kent decided to go to the home of the child’s one-time babysitter Meggin Van Hoof to secretly record a conversation.

“I wanted to see her. I wanted to see what happened,” he testified.

The recording was played in court, and Van Hoof can be heard saying, “I’m sorry and I would love to talk to you but when I was interrogated for manslaughter it was time to get a lawyer.”

The accused goes on to say, “I’m in a spot here where, I don’t know if I’m supposed to talk to you.”

When McLellan asks about what happened at her home daycare in Strathroy on that day in October 2015, Van Hoof is heard saying, “I don’t really have much to say other than he wasn’t himself that day and he collapsed, as in fainted.”

McLellan told the court he felt Van Hoof had lied during the interaction and at the end of the 21-minute recording he is heard saying, “I just want to know what happened to him, we dropped off a healthy boy, you don’t just die.”

While on the stand testifying he told the Crown, “I felt like a failure as a father. If I had just tried and did more, we might not end up in this situation.”

The 15-month-old Nathaniel had been rushed to hospital in Strathroy with a severe brain injury and while there McLellan would eventually send Van Hoof a photo of his child hooked up to medical devices on a bed telling her it’s the image they go to bed with at night.

“I wanted her to feel my pain,” he said.

Days later Nathaniel was taken off life supports and an emotional McLellan told the court, “Nate was very strong. I said to him that he could go, it was okay I wouldn’t let his death affect his brothers’ lives.”

Police would investigate the child’s death for years before charging Van Hoof with manslaughter. In court she has pled not guilty.

During cross-examination from the defence, McLellan was questioned about his motives behind the recording with van Hoof and he said in the end, “I would say I was not satisfied with the conversation.”

His testimony resumes on Thursday.