Residents of Toronto’s Cabbagetown community continue to mourn the death of a woman who was fatally stabbed while walking home from work in what police have described as a random attack.
Friends of Nighisti Semret gathered at a community church on Friday to remember the 55-year-old and collect donations to fly her body back to Africa.
The Eritrean Orhtodox Tewahdo Church in Toronto’s west end is collecting funds for Semret’s burial.
Meanwhile, police continue to scour the Cabbagetown neighbourhood for the murder suspect.
Investigators have said they believe the suspect either lives in the community or knows the area very well.
Semret, a refugee from Eritrea and a mother of three, was attacked Tuesday while walking home from her job as a night cleaner at the Delta Chelsea Hotel on Gerrard Street East. Police do not believe that she knew her attacker.
Investigators have posted surveillance video from a nearby apartment building on YouTube in hopes of identifying the suspect. The video shows Semret being followed closely by the male suspect just prior to her death.
The suspect is described as a white male, about 5’10 to 6’2, 150 to 200 pounds, with a medium build. Police say he was wearing a dark coat, a light-coloured scarf and a dark hat.
The Nighisti Semret Memorial Fund has been established:
Royal Bank of Canada account # 059521003425.
