Police have identified the victim of a fatal stabbing in Pickering last week as 83-year-old retired kindergarten teacher Eleanor Doney.
Investigators from Durham Regional Police had previously withheld Doney’s name at the request of her family. Her body was found with stab wounds outside a home on Lynn Heights Drive and Fairport Road last Thursday.
A 14-year-old boy is facing a first-degree murder charge in connection with her death. Police say there was no connection between Doney and her alleged attacker.
In a statement shared through police Tuesday, Doney’s family expressed gratitude for an “outpouring of love and support” in the wake of her death.
“We especially want to thank the first responders for all of their efforts,” the statement reads. “We take comfort in the fact that she was a woman of strong Christian faith.”
Pastor Kevin Armstrong, who knew Doney from her three decades as a member of his congregation in Ajax, previously told CBC News that Doney was known as generous, kind and witty.
“You wouldn’t find a better person,” he said.
In the news release, Durham police appealed for anyone with information about the incident, “even if you believe it is insignificant,” to come forward.
Investigators also said that as the accused in the case is a 14-year-old from Pickering, it is illegal to post photos or share identifying information about the teen under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
“Sharing such images is a criminal offence,” the news release reads. “We are asking you to instead turn those videos over to police and use the social media space as a place to remember Eleanor.”