The mother of an 11-year-old girl allegedly killed by her father at his Brampton home last week says she is heartbroken that she will never see her daughter again.
Priya Ramdin said in a statement read by interim Peel Regional Police Chief Chris McCord at a vigil for Riya Rajkumar in downtown Brampton Tuesday evening that her daughter always looked at the positives in life. She described Riya as her “best friend, my everything.”
“Riya was always a happy and positive child. She loved life, and was always excited about everything life had to offer. She never liked to be negative,” Ramdin wrote.
“If I’m ever upset, she would say, ‘Mama, don’t be sad. Look at the positives.’”
Ramdin said Riya was a dreamer and wanted to become a doctor, drive a Lamborghini and own a mansion. She noted how her daughter loved Drake and to play card games.
“She was a little princess who loved dressing up, having her hair curled and done up. She was a social butterfly who loved to spend time with family and friends. She was a great dancer and singer,” Ramdin wrote.
“She touched a lot of lives with her laughter and her contagious big smile. It breaks my heart I will no longer be seeing that smile, hearing her voice – I will never have her in my arms again. I can’t believe she is no longer here with me.”
Residents gathered at Garden Square Tuesday evening for the vigil where several speakers remembered Riya and read poems and prayers in her honour. Across the street, the clock tower at Brampton City Hall was lit pink in honour of Riya.
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Police said Riya was found dead in her father’s home near Hansen Road North and Crawford Drive in Brampton late Thursday evening after an Amber Alert was issued.
Officers said Riya was out with her father for her birthday on Thursday and was supposed to be dropped off with her mother at a predetermined time. Police said Ramdin contacted police at around 7 p.m. due to a concern about her daughter’s safety and a parental abduction investigation was launched.
The girl’s father, 41-year-old Roopesh Rajkumar, was arrested in Oro-Medonte, Ont., north of Toronto just after midnight on Friday. The arrest came shortly after a resident called police after hearing details of the accused’s vehicle through the Amber Alert.
Rajkumar has been charged with first-degree murder. Police said the accused remains in hospital after being injured from a self-inflicted gunshot wound prior to his arrest. His case is expected to be brought to court once he is medically cleared to attend. As of Tuesday, it was unclear when Rajkumar might be released from hospital.
In her statement Tuesday evening, Ramdin recalled her last moments with her daughter.
“Early during that day, we went to do our nails and her choice of colour was red. She was so excited for her birthday, looking forward to having dinner later that evening,” she wrote.
“Never did I think that my daughter would not return back to me.”
Ramdin thanked emergency services crews for their work as well as family, friends, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Premier Doug Ford and Mayor Patrick Brown’s office for their support.
WATCH: Residents of Brampton rallied in solidarity with the family of Riya Rajkumar
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She also thanked the resident who called police after recognizing the vehicle wanted in the Amber Alert.
“It’s encouraging to see the community working together when it truly matters,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, a visitation was scheduled for Tuesday evening at the Lotus Funeral and Cremation Centre at 121 Cityview Dr. in Etobicoke. Riya’s funeral service will take place at the same location at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
A vigil was held this past Saturday which was attended by nearly 300 people at Meadowvale Village Public School.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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