TORONTO - A review of legislation aimed at protecting vulnerable children like Katelynn Sampson is underway in the wake of the seven-year-old girl's "tragic" death, Ontario Attorney General Chris Bentley said Thursday.

"We are working very hard with the Ministry of Children and Youth to make sure that whatever needs to be done will be done, whatever changes need to be made will be made, whatever we need to strengthen will be done to make sure that our children -- our most vulnerable -- are protected," he said.

But Bentley wouldn't say what changes might be considered, and he declined to comment on the case, saying only that Katelynn's death was "tragic for all."

"We're taking a look at the legislation -- what's in it, what could be in it," he said.

"We've got a number of ideas that have been proposed. Obviously, you want to make sure you carefully think through the ideas so they actually achieve what you want to achieve, which is the strongest system of protection for our children."

The circumstances surrounding Katelynn's death have outraged many since the girl's battered body was found by police Aug. 2 in her caregiver's apartment after someone in the home called 911. Katelynn had been staying with the couple with her mother's consent.

One officer said the injuries the girl suffered were the worst thing he had seen in 20 years of policing. Screams of anguish were heard outside a funeral home Monday after friends and loved ones saw the grotesque injuries to the child's body.

Opposition parties and the province's child advocate have been calling for an inquest into Katelynn's death and an overhaul of the Children's Law Reform Act.

The case also raises troubling questions about the judge who awarded custody of Katelynn to Donna Irving, who has been charged with second-degree murder along with her boyfriend Warren Johnson, said NDP critic Peter Kormos.

Court transcripts revealed that few questions were asked about Irving, who had a criminal record for drugs, prostitution and violence.

Last week, Kormos wrote a letter to Bentley demanding an investigation of Ontario Court Justice Debra Paulseth by the Judicial Council, which probes complaints against provincially appointed judges.

The real problem is that Bentley is unwilling to hold a judge to account for her failure to use the legislative tools available and inquire into the backgrounds of Katelynn's guardians, Kormos said.

"This is a judge -- and we don't know how often this happens -- who simply refused to perform her function in a responsible way," he said.

"It amazes me that Mr. Bentley is quick to jump to the conclusion that there is a need for a legislative change, when in fact what we may have here is simply a judge who wasn't up to the job and wasn't doing her job."

Katelynn paid with her life for the system's shortcomings, and it's a "disgrace" the government hasn't yet started an investigation into what went wrong, said Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory.

Bentley should have ordered that any potential guardians be checked for a criminal record in custody cases where children are involved, Tory said Wednesday.

"It's unbelievable that somebody could have had a lengthy criminal record and that no one asked," Tory said.

"The judge didn't know, and yet that judge was then put in a position where she made a decision without having that information in front of her. It's unbelievable."

Police said the girl slept on a bedroom floor of her caregiver's home and showed signs of having been assaulted on an ongoing basis. They have said autopsy results would be significantly delayed because of the severity of her injuries.

Irwin Elman, Ontario's advocate for children and youth, has said the laws that are supposed to protect kids "all failed" the girl.