Durham Regional Police say they charged the boyfriend of a woman who died following a domestic violence call in Ajax last weekend.
On Saturday at around 11:05 p.m., officers found 45-year-old Jennifer Polak suffering from obvious signs of trauma at a home on Hillman Drive, south of Bayly Street East and Shoal Point Road.
On Tuesday, police said they had arrested her 35-year-old boyfriend Kyle Severin. He was charged with second-degree murder.
Court documents show Severin was also facing separate criminal proceedings for an alleged sexual assault.
“What seemed to be an unknown trouble incident last night developed quickly into a devastating loss of life,” Acting Duty Insp. Rob Williamson told reporters the following morning.
Despite life-saving measures, police said she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Williamson didn’t provide information on the nature of the woman’s injuries. He said the man and woman were the only people at the home at the time of the incident.
The court documents obtained by Global News show Severin was previously charged with the alleged sexual assault of a girl under the age of 16. The charge is related to an incident reported in April 2022 in Ajax.
He was also charged with failing to attend court at the end of 2023.
Records show he was on bail and due to appear in court for a trial over the sexual assault charge on April 8.
Neighbours told Global News they didn’t know Polak or Severin particularly well but were saddened by the news of the death.
“It breaks my heart to see that happen,” one local said.
According to social media, Polak worked at Apple Tree Preschool in Ajax.
A statement from the Polak family says Jenn was the loving mother of two young men.
“Jenn Polak was a kind, caring, beautiful person whose death has devastated everyone who knew her,” the statement read. “She brought sunshine into the lives of everyone she met.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family.
— With files from Global News’ Ryan Rocca