Investigators are asking the public for help as they try to piece together more details about the morning a woman was fatally stabbed in an alleyway in Toronto’s Cabbagetown neighbourhood.
Police have released photos of the clothes Nighisti Semret was wearing when she was attacked while walking home from her job as a night cleaner at the Delta Chelsea Hotel on Gerrard Street East.
By releasing photos of Semret’s outfit -- which includes a grey jacket, navy blue pants and black headscarf with sequin details -- police hope to jog the memory of anyone who saw her that morning.
The goal is to determine Semret’s exact route home and collect any potential security video from the buildings she passed, police said.
Surveillance cameras captured footage of Semret being followed by a man shortly before she was stabbed in the laneway off of Ontario Street, near Carlton and Parliament Streets.
The suspect, who is still at large, has been described as a white male standing between 5’10” to 6’2” tall, weighing between 150 to 200 lbs. Police said he was wearing a dark coat, a light-coloured scarf and a dark hat at the time of the attack.
Semret, a refugee from Eritrea and mother of three, was stabbed once in the arm and a few times in the torso.
Police have solicited help from the public at several points during the investigation. Last Thursday, investigators reached out again, asking Cabbagetown residents to check their properties for the knife that was used to kill Sehmet.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7400, 416-808-7387 and 416-808-7365. Tipsters can also contact Crime Stoppers anonymously 416-222-TIPS (8477).
