A woman stabbed to death in Toronto’s PATH system on Wednesday has been identified as a 51-year-old mother of eight, CTV News Toronto has learned.
It was shortly after 7 p.m. when an unknown man attacked Rae Cara Carrington in the food court of Commerce Court, located in the underground walkway near King and Bay Streets.
Witnesses described the sudden “spine tingling” screams coming from a worker at one of the food stalls, Fast Fresh.
“It was eerie the way she was screaming,” said one woman, who identified herself as Beverly.
"(She was) screaming her head off, hysterically. I ran to see what was happening and I heard somebody say that somebody had come up to the counter and pulled a huge knife… Apparently a really long, a sword sort of thing.”
Toronto police and paramedics rushed to the scene and found the woman with critical injuries.
Lifesaving efforts were attempted, but Carrington did not survive. She is the city’s 17th homicide of 2019.
Nancy Freckleton works in the building and often greeted Carrington as she grabbed lunch.
“I said to her, ‘You know why they call you Rae? Because you’re a ray of sunshine,” Freckleton told CTV News Toronto.
“She was. She was a lovely, lovely lady.”
Police believe the attack was targeted, but did not elaborate on the relationship between the victim and killer.
Carrington had been living in a women’s shelter and court documents indicated there was a history of family violence.
The suspect – described as a white male in his 30s – was last seen by witnesses escaping the area on foot. He is believed to have dark hair, a moustache and an average build, and was last seen wearing a dark sweater with a hood, a white T-shirt, dark pants, and dark shoes.
While no arrests have been made, police said they do not believe the suspect is a “threat to the general public.”
A large area inside Commerce Court was cordoned off by police tape for much of the night while police spoke with witnesses and collected evidence.
One woman who works along the PATH system learned about the incident as she headed home.
“It’s disturbing,” said Lisa Hall. “I’m glad I found out about so I can be a little more cautious on my walk home.”
By lunchtime the following day, employees of other food stalls in the underground pathway expressed shock.
“I didn’t see anything. I just heard the scream,” said one worker.
This is not the first fatal stabbing to unfold in the underground PATH system. In 2015, Rosemarie Junor was stabbed in a Shoppers Drug Mart by a stranger and she died of her injuries. Rohinie Bisesar was found not criminally responsible for the attack in 2018.
