TORONTO — A young girl whose remains were found in a construction-site dumpster in Toronto more than a year ago was identified by police Thursday as four-year-old Neveah Tucker.
Neveah had gone unidentified by police since her remains were found in May 2022, months after investigators believe she died.
Police said a tip from the community and the work of forensic investigators lined up in recent days to deliver a positive identification.
"A lot of work was put into both avenues and came together today to where we are now," Insp. Hank Idsinga said at a news conference on Thursday.
Police continue to investigate. They have made no arrests or laid any charges in the case.
A pathologist was not able to determine Neveah's cause of death after her remains were located at the construction site in an affluent midtown neighbourhood.
"It's definitely in our minds that this could still potentially be ruled a homicide case," Idsinga said.
Investigators say Neveah was born May 18, 2017, and died sometime in 2021.
Investigators had pored over missing children cases from across Canada and around the world. They found no evidence to link those cases with the young girl and say she was never reported missing.
Neveah's mother, who lives in Toronto, was notified about the identification earlier Thursday, police said. Investigators said they had not located the girl's father.
The investigation will now turn to interviews with family members to determine whether there is a "claim to the remains" and whether "any social agencies step up," Idsinga said.
The tip leading to Neveah's identification "wasn't specific," Idsinga said. It identified somebody else as a potential victim, but the "windfall" from the tip took police "in the right direction," Idsinga said, while declining to provide more details.
A memorial had been held at a Toronto church last month to mark one year since the girl's remains were found. Attendees had worn scarves knitted to resemble the colours of two blankets found wrapped around Neveah's body.
Residents of the Rosedale area, where the girl's remains were found, had said the case and the many unanswered questions around it had left them grieving for the young child.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2023.
Jordan Omstead and Kiernan Green, The Canadian Press
