Friends and relatives of a woman stabbed to death early Tuesday morning are struggling to come to grips with the tragedy.
"She's beautiful. She loves her kids. She would do anything for her kids," Deega Farah told CTV Toronto about Ayan Osman, 28.
Osman, who went by Denise, was the mother of two small boys. She came to Canada from Somalia in the early 1990s, a time of civil strife in that country.
Someone murdered her at about 2:30 a.m. Police called her slaying a domestic murder. One woman said Osman stayed home on Monday because she was so scared.
"She said, 'I'm afraid someone is going to kill me,' and I asked why," Hodan Hassan said, but Osman didn't respond.
CTV Toronto's John Musselman said police think a party may have been going on in the apartment, as a number of people were seen on the 390 Dixon Rd. building's security camera leaving after the stabbing.
Her boys were at a relative's home at the time.
Another grisly event occurred shortly after the murder.
Police closed Highway 401 around 3 a.m. to investigate a collision involving a transport truck and a man in the area where Martin Grove Road and Dixon Road intersect.
The highway, which was closed through the crush of the morning rush hour, reopened around 9:10 a.m.
The stabbing and the collision are related, Constable Isabelle Cotton said.
The man, who is in his 20s and is believed to be the father of Osman's children, may have walked or run from Dixon Road to near Martin Grove Road.
The man is being treated for serious injuries, but is expected to survive. Police say he is a prime suspect.
"We're looking to lay a murder charge. At this point, we're still investigating. We haven't interviewed all of the witnesses," said Det. Dan Nielsen.
Police are examining a phone booth at Dixon Road and Kipling Avenue, where they believe a 911 call was made in connection with the murder.
Osman is Toronto's 23rd homicide victim of 2010.
With a report from CTV Toronto's John Musselman
