Man who died on Toronto highway was father, husband of triple homicide victims

Toronto police say the man who died on the Don Valley Parkway on Saturday was husband and father in the family that was later found dead in an apartment at 85 Thorncliffe Park Dr.

Yusuf Osman Abdille, 50, was hit by a southbound vehicle and died at the scene. His wife, Zahra Abdille, 43, and their sons, Faris, 13, and Zain, 8, were found dead in the apartment a few hours after policed responded to Mr. Abdille’s incident at the Don Valley Parkway and the Leaside Bridge.

“It appears that the traffic accident happened after the [homicide],” communications officer David Hopkinson said.

Police said they are still investigating whether Mr. Abdille was involved in the homicides.

The director of Dr. Roz’s Healing Place, a centre for women escaping abuse, said Ms. Abdille stayed there for about two weeks in July, 2013.

Roz Roach said Ms. Abdille was in an abusive relationship.

Ms. Abdille did not tell anyone in her community about the abuse, Dr. Roach said, adding that Ms. Abdille tried to get custody of her children, but could not afford legal counsel.

“The address of the murder was the same address we got when she got here,” Dr. Roach said, adding that many women return to an abusive relationship because they could not manage alone.

“They don’t have the finance to support themselves or family,” she said. Ms. Abdille was a nurse for Toronto Public Health.

Ms. Abdille left the centre in early August, 2013, to live in a private residence, but may have returned to her Thorncliffe apartment because of finances and pressure from her partner, Dr. Roach said.

“One day, she got called 50 times in a day from him,” she said. “She is a proud woman. I keep saying ‘is’ because I’m having a problem with letting her go.”

Managers of the Thorncliffe Park apartment building sent a memo to residents telling them it is still safe to live there.

“As everyone is aware we have had an unfortunate incident which took place in 85 building last Saturday Nov. 29th,” it said. “We can assure residents this is an isolated incident and we remain probably the safest buildings in Leaside in which to live.”

Zain Abdille attended William Burgess Elementary School, and his older brother, Faris, went to Westwood Middle School, TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird said.

“A mother and two kids are dead. It’s been emotional. We really don’t know what’s going on,” said Osman Ali, director of the Somali-Association of Canada.

Mr. Ali said he did not know the family, adding “we have never seen something like this, where a Somali family, a wife and children are killed.

“The Somali community is saddened. Friends tell me she was a good nurse and an excellent mother. Right now, we are waiting for the bodies so that we can do a proper burial. Police said they will give them to us once the investigation and everything is over,” he said.

theglobeandmail.com