She died of exhaustion and blood poisoning from some 52 wounds inflicted by her stepmother, Marie-Anne Houde, and her father, Télesphore Gagnon.
They lived in Fortierville, a small village on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, 100 kilometers southwest of Quebec City.
Marie-Anne Houde, the widow of a cousin of Télesphore, soon moved into the Gagnon home, saying that she wanted to "take care of the house and children."
On 6 November 1917, two-year-old Joseph was found dead in his bed; a coroner's inquest deemed it a natural death.
Houde did not abuse her stepdaughter only physically; several eyewitnesses testified that she had once tried to poison Aurore by urging her to drink detergent.
In September 1919, 10-year-old Aurore was hospitalized for more than a month at the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec with a severe leg infection that was caused by her stepmother branding her with a metal poker.
[9] Aurore Gagnon remains a popular cultural icon in Quebec, with almost mythical status.
[12] In 1950, the success of the play could still be felt; this inspired producers of the Alliance cinématographique canadienne to make a film about Aurore Gagnon's life.
Filming took place during the summer of 1951 in Sainte-Dorothée, a small municipality on the Île Jésus in northern Montreal.
Lucie Mitchell reprised her role as Marie-Anne Houde, whereas Paul Desmarteaux played Télesphore Gagnon.
The Court ruled in favour of the producers, citing, among other things, the fact that Télesphore had never objected to the release of the play in 1921.
The film, titled La petite Aurore: l'enfant martyre, premiered on 25 April 1952 at the Théâtre Saint-Denis.
This remake was directed by René Richard Cyr and starred Adèle Reinhardt as Aurore and Louison Danis as her stepmother.
Acting alongside Fortier were Serge Postigo as Télesphore Gagnon, Hélène Bourgeois-Leclerc as Marie-Anne Houde, Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse as Marie-Jeanne Gagnon, Yves Jacques as Father Antoine Leduc, and Rémy Girard as Justice of the Peace Oréus Mailhot.
Indeed, the case helped to spark public interest in the realities of domestic violence and child abuse.
On 7 December 2015, the town of Fortierville recognized Aurore as a historical figure (French: personnage historique).