Tot's father called family member before jumping from balcony in murder-suicide, police say

Tamara Cherry
Staff Reporter

A toddler was orphaned yesterday when her mother died inside a northeast Toronto apartment and her father leapt 14 floors to his death in an apparent murder-suicide. In the moments before he jumped from the couple's Graydon Hall Dr. apartment, the 30-year-old man called a family member, Toronto police homicide Det.-Sgt. Dean Burks said.

That family member called 911 just after 10:30 a.m. yesterday. A minute later, another person called 911 about a man who had just landed next to a dumpster in the rear of the building.

"The male deceased had already jumped off the balcony and police were already en route responding to that initial call," Burks said yesterday afternoon. "All indications are that it's a domestic-related murder-suicide."

Inside the apartment, police found the body of the man's 27-year-old wife.

The couple's daughter was with relatives yesterday afternoon. Burks didn't know whether she was present when her parents died.

By mid-afternoon, police inside the taped-off parking lot began examining a silver car. The names of the deceased weren't released.

The couple had no history with police, something Burks called "unusual," given their demise.

"This is the first time I've dealt with an issue like this where there's been no prior police contact," he said.

"Whether there's a history of family violence, we don't know at this stage."

Burks wouldn't comment on how the woman's body was found or whether there was a weapon found.

Sachil Madan, who also lives on the 14th floor, was home at the time but said he didn't hear or see anything that would indicate trouble.

"It's too bad," Madan said. "Nothing seemed out of place."

Many people in the building are new immigrants, he said.

The deceased couple had lived there for a couple of years.

Residents from the building and passersby gathered around the crime scene into the afternoon.

"That's a shame," said Cathy Bargenda, who has lived in the building for 17 years. "I know a lot of the mothers here. They're all quiet people."