A Toronto man was charged Friday with first-degree murder in the death of his eight-year-old daughter, whose lifeless body was found inside their North York townhouse.
Police were alerted to the scene just after 10 p.m. on Thursday after the 36-year-old man walked into a police station and said his daughter was dead.
Officers found the body of the girl, identified as Megan Wilde, inside her bed in the home on Thimble Berry Way, near Don Mills Road and Steeles Avenue East.
An autopsy showed she died of "ligature strangulation," where a constricting object is tightened around the neck.
The victim's body was removed from the residence, where her mother and sister live.
The child's mother was not home when the girl was killed, and she only learned of the tragedy when officers later arrived at the house, CTV's Jim Junkin reported.
Police said the other child, a nine-year-old, was not injured.
CTV News has learned the father, an IT specialist, was being treated for a bipolar condition. He was identified as Rick Wilde.
Residents were shocked to learn of the grisly incident.
"It's scary, but sad," said one man. "We have a quiet, good community here."
One woman said she had seen the little girl not long before she was killed.
"It's very sad, and the thought of some taking someone else's life like that is devastating," she said.
Neighbours said the family had lived in the townhouse for some time.
Parents and students at Cliffwood Public School, where Megan attended, were also devastated by the news.
The father appeared in a Finch Avenue courthouse on Friday. He was held in custody until his next court appearance on Nov. 1, where he will appear via video link.
The death is the city's 69th homicide of the year.
With a report from CTV's Jim Junkin
