News Release

News Release

SIU Investigates Custody Death in Etobicoke

Case Number: 12-TCD-306   

Mississauga (23 October, 2012) --- Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is probing the circumstances surrounding the death of a 16-year-old female in Etobicoke early this morning.

The SIU was notified of the incident by the Coroner’s Office.  The SIU was informed of the following:
• Sometime after midnight on Tuesday, October 23, 2012, Toronto Police Service officers responded to an apartment building at 52 Mabelle Avenue;
• Upon arrival, they saw a female hanging from the 14th floor balcony;
• While officers attempted to speak with her from an adjacent balcony, she fell to the ground.

The SIU has assigned two investigators and two forensic investigators to probe the circumstances of this incident.  A post mortem is scheduled for this afternoon in Toronto.

Anyone with information or who may have witnessed this incident is asked to contact the lead investigator at 416-622-1925 or 1-800-787-8529 ext. 1925.

The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (police officers as well as special constables with the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service) that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, the Director of the SIU must

• consider whether the official has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
• depending on the evidence, cause a criminal charge to be laid against the official where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid
• publicly report the results of its investigations