A family is desperate for answers after a woman was found injured in a car in High Park on Friday and later pronounced dead.
Serenity Brown wanted the big city life, so she left her home outside of London, Ontario, to head to Toronto her mother, Tiffany Burnham, said. She will be laid to rest in her First Nations community on Wednesday.
"She was just so happy. She was always smiling. She loved music. She absolutely loved music, that was a big part of her life. She was just a happy-go-lucky girl," said Burnham, Brown's mother during an interview from Oneida Nation of the Thames. "She just wanted the big city life and that's why she moved to Toronto, which was obviously a big mistake."
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Around 5:50 p.m. last Friday, officers responded to a "medical call" in the Glenlake Avenue and High Park Avenue area. Brown, 21, was located with injuries inside a car. She was transported to hospital where she was pronounced dead.
A duty inspector near the scene on Friday evening told reporters the victim was seen "having an interaction with a male and that male was seen leaving the area." The Toronto police news release made no mention of a suspect.
According to her mother, Brown, was known as "Yaddie" to family, and was born in London, but moved to Oneida Nation of the Thames when she was 10.
"As a child, she loved to play dress-up in her many princess costumes. She loved to sing and dance and was very close to her seven siblings. She attended TsiNiyukwaliho (which means the way of life) on Oneida where she learned a lot about her cultural teachings and language," said Burnham.
Her mother said she moved to Toronto when she was 18. Her mother confirmed that she lived in the High Park area, but she also said that there had been a lack of communication recently.
"In January, it was like she was just shut out in the whole world, like I could not even find her on Facebook no more. Nobody could get a hold of her no more ... She just seemed to disappear," said Burnham.
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"She would have given her shirt off the back for anybody and she would have helped anybody and she was just a really good person and she didn't deserve this."
The family is planning a funeral on Wednesday in Oneida Nation of the Thames, and Burnham's brother has started a GoFundMe to help with the costs.
"My sister has no means of paying for the funeral and me myself I do not have much either but we are hoping for the kind hearts out there to share anything they can. Nobody expects to be burying their child so young. Our family appreciates any help you can offer, " says the message from Roger Burnham on the fundraising platform.
Brown is the 30th homicide in Toronto this year. Police have not released any further updates, and are asking anyone with any information to contact police.
With files from Anastasia Blosser
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