Toronto police said a four-month-old infant has died after being reported missing in a midtown neighbourhood on Wednesday.
A family member reported the baby was missing in the Marlee and Roselawn avenues area around 11:24 a.m., police said in an email.
Officers who responded to the call found the infant in a residential building. The child was rushed to hospital but was later pronounced dead, police said.
“While we recognize this is a tragic situation that raises many questions, no further details will be shared at this time,” a police spokesperson said in an statement Wednesday afternoon.
Toronto paramedics said they arrived at the scene at 11:39 a.m. and transported a patient with critical injuries. They couldn’t release further details.
Police investigating at apartment building
Police were still on scene Wednesday evening at a community housing building located at 855 Roselawn Ave., roughly one kilometre north of Eglinton West Station.
A CBC reporter at the scene observed that the investigation appeared to be centred on the eighth floor of the building.
Officers were also guarding the building’s garbage chute, which was taped off, while police investigated the building’s garbage room.
Dan Trayes lives in the building. He said he watched police escort a woman out of the residence.
Trayes said the area has a lot of social issues that seem to be going unaddressed.
“I’m sick and tired of it, because day in, day out, this stuff is happening all over the place and nobody seems to care.”
Counselling offered for residents
Eglinton-Lawrence Coun. Mike Colle said the building is predominantly occupied by seniors. He said it’s had its share of problems but seems to have improved in recent years.
“It’s really been a good building in the last couple of years.”
He said Toronto Community Housing will be bringing in counsellors for the building’s staff and tenants.
“It’s incredibly awful, bad, terrible terrible news when you hear about a four-month-old baby that has died right here,” he said.
“It’s really a punch in the gut, that’s for sure, for everybody who hears about this.”