Peel Regional Police have identified the fourth murder victim of 2018 as 30-year-old Brampton, Ont., resident Hoden Said.
Officers say they found her body with obvious signs of physical trauma on Saturday night in the basement apartment of a residence in the Kennedy Road and Rutherford area. Police have been investigating a semi-detached home on Hockley Path.
Witnesses reported a disturbance within the residence Saturday afternoon, and an unknown male was seen leaving the home on foot. Police say the suspect was wearing a jacket with a fur-trimmed collar with the hood pulled up over his head, jeans, and white running shoes. They also describe him as being between five-foot-seven and five-foot-nine in height with a stocky build.
The Homicide and Missing Persons Bureau has taken over the investigation, and several police cars lined the quiet street Sunday afternoon as officers spoke with neighbours.
Area residents Global News spoke with say they don’t know much about the people who live in the house. “We know that there (are) … two families that live there,” says Michelle Hunter, whose home is attached to the one at the centre of the investigation.
Hunter’s mother says she arrived home around 7:40 p.m. on Saturday to find police had taped off her property, and officers asked her what she knows about her neighbours. “They asked us if we knew the people that lived in the back of the house, which we’ve seen but they don’t really speak to us,” says Peggy Hunter.
“But the owner of the house, he’s a very nice man,” she says. “He has spoken to us a lot of times.”
Although police believe the homicide is an isolated incident and there is no immediate risk to public safety at this time, residents are concerned. They say they don’t normally see any police activity in their neighbourhood. Michelle Hunter says, “We’ve got young kids … it’s scary. It’s too close to home.”
Said is the fourth woman to be murdered this year in Peel Region, meaning this year’s total is greater than the number of female homicide victims in the region last year: three.
Police say anyone who may have seen the suspect or has information related to this investigation is asked to call investigators at the Homicide and Missing Persons Bureau at (905) 453-221 ext. 3205. Information may also be left anonymously by calling Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), visiting www.peelcrimestoppers.ca or by sending a text message to CRIMES (274637) with the word “PEEL” and then your tip.