Toronto Police identify 4-year-old girl whose body was found in dumpster
Toronto police have identified the young girl whose body was found in a dumpster in the city’s wealthy Rosedale neighbourhood in May, 2022.
In an update Thursday, Inspector Hank Idsinga identified the girl as Neveah Tucker, aged four, of Toronto.
“We believe that Neveah died in 2021,” Idsinga said. “She would have been just shy of her fifth birthday when her body was placed in the dumpster.
“At this time no arrests have been made and no charges have been laid.”
Idsinga said a tip from the community helped lead to her identification, along with DNA and genetic testing.
It’s still unclear how Tucker died.
“The pathologist wasn’t able to identify a cause of death so we’re not saying it’s a homicide,” Idsinga said. “We will see where the investigation takes us … it’s definitely in our minds that this could still potentially become a homicide case.”
Idsinga said police notified Tucker’s mother “just today,” but added that he wouldn’t “comment on the status of her mother in our investigation.”
Tucker’s remains were found in a construction bin outside a Dale Avenue home near Castle Frank Road on May 2, 2022.
A worker on the site of the home, which was under construction, called police after discovering her body wrapped in a crochet blanket inside a plastic bag.
At the time investigators said there was no evidence linking the girl to any reported missing children in Canada, perplexing police who vowed to identify her.
Police did identify a vehicle of interest in the case — a dark-coloured Porsche Cayenne SUV with the model year between 2011 and 2014.
The suspect vehicle was seen in security footage stopping on Dale Avenue in the area of the dumpster on April 28 at 10:26 p.m., idling for 21 seconds.
Idsinga previously said the vehicle “inexplicably” stopped by the dumpster around the same time investigators believe the body was disposed of.
“We believe it is unlikely the child located on Dale Avenue has ever been reported missing,” Idsinga said in June, 2022.
