A candlelight vigil was held tonight to remember a 40-year-old Toronto doctor whose body was found in Kleinburg earlier this month.
The body of Dr. Elana Fric-Shamji was found inside a discarded suitcase near Nashville Road and Stevenson Avenue on Dec 1. The cause of death was determined to be strangulation and blunt-force trauma to her head.
Her husband, Mohammed Shamji, was arrested the following day and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the case.
The vigil was organized by The Shelter Movers of Toronto, a non-profit moving company that assigns volunteers to help women leave dangerous or abusive living situations, and took place on the front lawn of Queen’s Park at 5:45 p.m.
“We invite you to attend if you are able so we can collectively and individually pay our respects to this wonderful woman,” a notice by Shelter Movers of Toronto states.
Fric-Shamji’s family has also designated the group as a preferred recipient of any donations made in her honour.
Investigators believe the mother of three was killed while at her home in North York sometime between Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.
Sources close to the investigation told CTV News Toronto that friends and family of the woman have told investigators that Fric-Shamji was in an abusive relationship with her husband.
Fric-Shamji also reportedly told friends that she planned on getting a divorce.
Patients will be treated by other doctors
Patients of Shamji, a neurosurgeon at Toronto Western Hospital, were concerned about not being able to get the proper treatment after he was arrested. However, officials at the hospital are now saying Shamji is not the only doctor who is able to help these patients. All surgeries and treatments will be done, they said.
“Although Dr. Shamji was somewhat subspecialized in that he did spine surgeries and certain kinds of pain surgeries, we have four other spine surgeons that can do the kinds of surgeries that Dr. Shamji did for the spine. We have two other surgeons that can do the kind of pain surgeries that he did, so we're well covered in that regard,” said Dr. Michael Tymianski.
At the time of Shamji’s arrest, he was looking after more than 500 patients.
“To us it's beyond comprehension, but right now our job is to put that aside and make sure that the patients are looked after,” Tymianski said. “For the patients who had surgeries booked in December (they) are generally getting their surgeries in December.”
Shamji is expected to make a second court appearance on Dec. 20.
A vigil is also scheduled for tomorrow in Windsor, Ont. Fric-Shamji grew up nearby, in Tecumseh, before moving to Toronto.
