http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/
Dismembered woman: Most of body still missing after remains found in Toronto’s west end
Homicide detectives are still searching for about two-thirds of a woman’s body after human remains were found in Toronto’s west end last week, police said Tuesday.
By: Carys Mills News reporter, Sahar Fatima Staff Reporters, Published on Tue May 28 2013
Homicide detectives are still searching for about two-thirds of a woman’s body after human remains were found in Toronto’s west end last week, police said Tuesday.
Det. John Margetson told media outside the Commissioners St. waste-transfer station that police believe they know the identity of the woman but are waiting on official confirmation through a forensics examination.
A 41-year-old Toronto man was arrested on Sunday and charged with indignity to a dead body, police announced Tuesday morning. Adonay Zekarias was due in court Tuesday morning.
Some of the remains were found Friday after a passerby noticed a strong odour coming from a bag on a trail near Alliance Ave., in the Jane St.-Eglinton Ave. W. area.
A post mortem found that the remains were female, police said, but the cause of death wasn’t immediately determined.
Margetson said they believe the death took place in the last two weeks. He said they don’t have enough information to rule it a homicide yet, but that it appears to be suspicious.
Police were at the waste-transfer site searching for human remains through garbage collected from community-housing building at 285 Shuter St., where the dead woman may have lived.
There is an ongoing investigation at an apartment at that address, as well as at an apartment on 101 Humber Blvd. where the suspect lives. Forensic evidence was found in both apartments, Margetson said.
“I can’t say a) the manner of death, or b) if she died at that location,” Margetson said. “All I can tell you is, there’s indications at one of the scenes that there could be criminality that took place there.”
Police have also finished investigating the contents of eight dumpsters towed away from 101 and 121 Humber Blvd., Margetson said.
He said police won’t be searching through more dumpsters.
“Unfortunately due to the time frame we’re looking at, the dumpsters themselves have made their way to the very least to a transfer, if not to the dump in London, Ont.,” he said.
Margetson said police believe the victim and the suspect knew each other because they were both from the Eritrean community. He said the two had a relationship of some kind but could not confirm whether it was romantic.
Margetson said he is not confident police will find the rest of the remains.
“That area that the remains were found, our dog handler said there’s coyotes in the area so it remains to be seen what we’ll be able to locate due to the time factor,” he said. “It could be anywhere in the city or outside of the city.”
Margetson said police have no other suspects so far.
Received on Tue May 28 2013 - 16:09:20 EDT