Woman, 66, found frozen steps from Toronto home

A woman who suffers from dementia perished in the streets of Toronto. She wandered out of her suburban home and outside into extreme cold temperatures. But this was not the only death caused by cold weather.

CTV Montreal: Aphrodite Salas on the tragedy

Police found an 82-year-old woman suffering from symptoms of pneumonia in her frigid South Shore home on Sunday. Her husband had already died of what appears to be a heart attack when police arrived.

CTV Toronto: Woman dies after spending night outside

A woman who wandered out of her Scarborough home overnight Sunday has died from apparent hypothermia. Police found her dead early Monday, and they say no one notified officers until it was too late. Naomi Parness reports.

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A car is parked in a driveway of a home where a 66-year-old woman froze to death early Monday morning in Toronto, Jan. 17, 2011. (Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

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ctvtoronto.ca

Date: Mon. Jan. 17 2011 7:56 PM ET

A 66-year-old Toronto woman suffering from dementia was found frozen to death on a Toronto sidewalk Monday, after she left her home in the middle of the night.

She was rushed to hospital without vital signs shortly before 6 a.m. on Monday after she was found lying on a sidewalk on Kennaly Crescent, near McNicoll Avenue and Brimley Road in Scarborough.

She was confirmed dead in hospital a short time later.

Toronto police called the death an avoidable tragedy on Monday, adding that neighbours had heard screams but didn't realize the woman was in distress.

Police said the woman was clearly suffering from hypothermia when she was found only one block from her Scarborough home.

Her husband had woken up at around 2 a.m. and noticed her missing. The family called police after a fervent two-hour search.

Toronto Police Sgt. David Dube said the woman suffered from Alzheimer's disease. She was dressed for the elements but her jacket had been removed. He said it appeared she had fallen and was unable to stand up.

Dube said two neighbours reported hearing screaming at around 2 a.m.

It appeared as if the woman had tried to get out of the cold before her death. Dube said markings on a car and a nearby home's screen door suggest she may have tried to open them.

Dube said foul play is not suspected, but he is surprised people in the area did not offer some sort of assistance.

"I would encourage people to call the police. They wouldn't have to get involved and confront things, but they should call us. That is why we are here," Dube said.

Temperatures in Toronto dipped as low as -20 C overnight, with a wind chill that made conditions even more miserable. The city is currently under an extreme cold weather alert.

Neighbour George Cheang said that he heard screaming early Monday, but thought it was just a family conflict.

"I thought it was just a normal family argument, and I just dosed back to sleep," he told CTV Toronto.

Neighbour Domenico Capotorto said that the woman went missing last year, and she was later found at a nearby mall.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Naomi Parness

Comments are now closed for this story

Catina (Alberta, formerly Quebec, formerly Ontario
said

Wow, everyone is having a field day self-righteously running down Toronto. And Randy, you are so right and nicely put: "He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone."
Catina (currently in Alberta, formerly of Quebec, formerly of Ontario)

"Love your neighbour as yourself"
said

"Love your neighbour as yourself"... the commandment was clear but nobody listened.

Em
said

I actually live about a street away from where this horrible tragedy occurred.

While this neighbourhood is safe, and quiet.
It's just that; quiet.
People tend to keep to themselves and not open up to others.

It is highly shocking that no one called 911. My parents are very appalled at the lack of help.
We live too far to have heard her. But those who heard her could've done something especially the one person who DID see her.

Despite this, Scarborough is a very lovely area. Like any others it has its flaws but it's a good area.

Rocky
said

We talk about going to moon and we have no value for people living on earth. Come on!!!
Are we teaching compassion, humanity, human values to our next generation. I think we are headed the wrong way.
What is taught in schools is "do not talk to stranger (full stop)" without proper explanation and reasoning behind. There are flaws in our education system which will lead to more incidents like this in future.

Jennifer
said

This would never have happened in the Maritimes.

Cara B, NS
said

This article is confusing and it doesn't help that the story seems to have changed throughout the day.

Her family noticed her missing, searched for two hours and then called the police - so how did no one notice her laying on the sidewalk one block away? It also says people reported hearing screams and that makes it sound as though she was laying there the whole night, yet no one found her while they were searching? The article also did state earlier today that someone said they saw a person rolling around. That part is no longer in the story that's here.

So what really happened? Maybe we should try getting our facts straight before we report them. Just a thought :)

Julie McLean
said

Another city to avoid going where people don't care about others,their fellow human beings--- as I have firsthand knowledge of this, as I, unfortunately, was a victim of this apathy myself, for 9 horrible years is ---Peterborough,Ontario,Canada. Sad and inexcusable....

bellesque
said

The video says one neighbor saw someone lying on the ground and didn't call police. I have (when I lived in Toronto and now that I live in Montreal) heard screams from time to time. I always check it out and have twice called police. I'm not sure why people didn't in this 'nice' neighborhood. And I'd think that if my partner had dementia and wasn't in bed, I'd go and check she was on the sofa. Maybe it's the media spin on this but it seems to me there's a lot of carelessness involved with this woman's death from family and strangers alike. Very sad.

Serge, Mississauga
said

If someone did in fact see her curled up on ground and someone else hear her screams for help, then it is very disappointing that it came to this. I am sure there are a few people that are very disappointed in themselves right now and it is a shame.

Laura
said

NOWHERE in the article does it say that anyone say this woman "rolling on the ground"! They heard screams; that's all we know. They may have looked out and been unable to tell where they were coming from; they may have thought it was neighbours having a fight, especially if it was of very short duration. It's easy to criticise others.

Arlene
said

Don't blame the people of Toronto. This could have happened anywhere. I had a wonderful experience with Toronto having gotten off a flight ill with a small child. The RCMP, flight attendants, people in terminal, etc, were more helpful than I would expect. The airline's supervisor changed my son and gave him a little sink bath, the Taxi driver came up to my room in hospital later to check on me, the airlines called and one of the workers even offered to keep my child overnight, the nurses in the hospital offered to take him home overnight and donated food from their supper for him for his snacks plus changed and readied my toddler for bed. So, please, do not criticize the citizens of Toronto, it was an accident.

Liz
said

Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all - the apathy of human beings.

Maggie
said

I live in a small town - if I heard scream for help I would call 911. What is the matter with the people in Toronto? That poor poor woman she died a hellish death because people don't want to become involved. This is inexcusable - that she died. Oh my god that poor woman. Shame on you the people who heard her and did nothing.

Terry
said

Older people with Dementia require constant surveilance. Believe me I know, because I went through it !! Home Care givers are much of the time exhausted simply because dementia knows no set hours. For me the entry alarm available from Canada Tire worked great. $15 per door.
Bolt locks set high on the door door work as a backup. As for no one outside the home taking notice and calling for help... I shake my head.

JM
said

Diffusion of responsibility is a grade 11 lesson in Ontario High Schools. When you hear someone in need, always determine the cause and respond.

Jaide
said

I'm not surprised. Recently I asked for help and requested people to call a taxi for me and they refused. Even a security guard refused to call a taxi. I asked a lady what city we were in and she said she doesn't live out here and used the excuse that she was handicapped. She was the one that called security on me too!!!!

J. S.
said

When I first came to Toronto, I could not believe the number of homeless people on the streets. No matter what time of year, or what the weather conditions, there they were. Torontonians have been conditioned to simply step over them or pretend they do not exist! One day while driving by, I saw a man stretched out on the sidewalk with crutches by his side. I told my son who was driving, and we called 911, as I thought he had collapsed. Apparently in Toronto, one does NOT call 911 when they see someone laying in the street. If you call 911 and are wrong, your number will be noted, as if you have done something very wrong! By the way, the man on the street was not injured, he was homeless and sleeping on the street. Obviously he was in desperate need of care. Yes, even in the bitterest of temperatures in Toronto you will see the homeless laying on the street covered by only a thin blanket. There has to be something seriously wrong with a city where when you are homeless you become invisible. I wonder whether this was this poor woman's fate. How could anyone not heed a call for help when the temperature was -28!? God help us when a society becomes this unfeeling, cruel and callous.Toronto seriously needs to deal with this issue, and the city should be taken to court and charged for failing to provide the most basic of human rights to the poor. How much does this city raise for the homless and the poor of those in other countries, and yet they cannot, or refuse to see what is under their very own noses.

G Kline
said

The story is not very clear. This one says she was found on a sidewalk, another story says she was found at 6am behind a car by a newspaper delivery person. So for 4 hours, how exactly did her family look for her? And for 2 hours, what manpower did the police give to look for her?It's possible that she would have succumbed to the cold even if the neighbours had called, judging by the police response, especially since the family didn't call the police for 2 hours after she disappeared.Everyone's going to try to blame the neighbours, but I think a whole bunch of things happened that involve her family and the police that can't be overlooked.

Ben G
said

This city has all kinds of people. There are nice people and good samaritans all over the place. And there are also people who are apathetic and don't care about jack. I think the reaction should not be generalized to a whole group of people or area of Scarborough. Those specific people who sensed she was in distress and didn't call 911 will have to live with that knowledge for the rest of their lives.On the other side of things, it's not clear if her family knew she was a risk to walk off in the middle of the night. If she was, then they should also have taken steps to ensure she didn't. We can't just blame the people who didn't do anything to help and say they were solely responsible for her death.

Gerald
said

This just should not have happened at all...a policeman loses his life trying to protect the very people that just let this crap go by.What the hell..!!

PissedCanuck
said

Toronto the rotten. Absolute no respect or value for anything anymore and this shows in spades of what Toronto truly stands for.

Linda in Vancouver
said

Simply inexcusable.Judging by the photo,this looks likes a decent middle class area.It does not look like skid row,where drug dealers and hookers are screaming every night.How people can be so uncaring is beyond me.Imagine if this was your wife,mother,sister,daughter or friend.66 years old.OMG! What a horrible way to end a life.Alone in a the cold. Dialing three little digits.That's all it would have taken.And no one could be bothered.THis is a new low for our society.

catsrulz
said

Zelda said People heard her screaming and saw her rolling on the ground in distress, and did nothing to help??! When did Toronto turn into New York City?I think NYC is alot better then Toronto is now. I go to Toronto once a year and thats more than enough for me. I find ppl in Toronto to be rude and not care about anyone. If they know you arnt from Toronto, they basicly want you the heck out of their city and not intrude on them. Im not suprised Toronto is like this. Give me NYC any day over Toronto

Elizabeth, Ontario
said

Sad testimonial to the state of our society when people hear screams for help as well as observe a person rolling on the cold ground and not at least call 911. Especially on one of the coldest nights of the winter. SHAME! SHAME! SHAME! I find this totally disgusting and unacceptable. My thoughts and prayers are with this woman's family at this most difficult time in their lives.

TerryR Lethbridge
said

Bystander Effect? The one who came up with that one is ignoring the real fact, people don't want to get involved.It is a disgrace to Canadians this happened. Period.I hope the people who heard and saw but did nothing enjoy their dreams from now on.

Don
said

Unfortunately this sort of thing is common place in any urban setting worldwide...............less likely in rural areas.

angry
said

these people could at least call "911" and report the screaming....but they decided to act BLIND....shame on you guy.
Hope someone will learn with this tragedy... "IF YOU AFRAID TO APPROUCH THE PERSON OR SCENE"
JUST GET YOU PHONE AND DIAL
***911***
thanks for nothing..

Bernice
said

LB
said

Truly a tragic situation, but lets not be so quick to judge the neighbours.I'm not in TO, but if I hear noise outside at 2am, I'm not thinking it's an ill older woman in distress.More likely, it's the trouble causers of society, and getting involved may endanger the safety of others.And "you can call the police without being involved"? Maybe in TO, but my husband has called for neighbour disturbances in two different cities and is always asked to leave name and phone number.No one wants to be accused of a false 911 call if nothing is found. There are huge implications associated with that. Unfortunately, that's what society has come to.

NS
said

Prayers to the family and friends.Gotta Luv big city people, NOT.... I think I will stay in my small city, thank you.

Marie
said

Please do not blame the the whole city for the mistakes of two individuals. This could have happened anyplace in any town. To the individual who heard screams but did nothing - did you at least look out your window (I understand about not wanting to open your door that time of the night) but did you look out the window to see if you could see anything? Or listen closely to hear any more screams? Or did you just lie in your bed and thought nothing of it? To the person who saw the woman lying there but did nothing - no one asked you to get out of your home but could you not have called the police? If it was a false alarm so be it...but did you at least try? To those people on this forum who say that nothing could have been done -perhaps but did those two individuals do the very best that they could have done to help a stranger even if it was too late?

Danya
said

What a sad and horric tragedy that could have be avoided if only somebody had opened the door for this elderly woman who was crying out for help.Where is HUMANITY here??? It'd sad to see that these days ANIMALS have more feelings than HUMANS. It isn't hard at all to open your door and let a person in need of help into your home,even if you are afraid to keep them in your house you can call the police and have them come and take care of the situation instead of letting a person die on the sidewalk like as if they were an animal.SHAME SHAME SHAME !!!!!!!

Ron from Georgetown
said

The issue that many people are missing here is we need to do a better job in looking after each other. We should be more vigilant with elderly, sick, children and become a better society.

Paul in B.C.
said

I can not believe that in that type of weather people would lay there and listen to a cry for help and just roll over and go back to sleep? God help your loved one's if they should ever need some form of help. My heart goes out to the family, as for the lazy ass's that ignored the cry for help you my friends will live with the guilt.

Martin in Ottawa
said

Canadians have become what we once hated: By idealizing ruthlessness in the political arena, particularily at the federal level, we have lost our reputation for savvy and astute negotiating, as well as our humanity.

Vickie - NS
said

Getting involved does not mean you are nosey, it means you hear something, it disturbs you and you make a call to the authority. If it ends up being nothing, so what, if you end up saving someone's life good for you.I hope this has taught everyone a lesson that a cry for help is not something anyone should ignore. Next time, it could be you.

Marissa
said

It is sad that no one responded to her cries for help, but its very common and not just special to Toronto...or New York for that matter. It's called the "Bystander Effect" and it happens very often. People hear someone calling for help and just simply assume that someone else will call for help which results in nothing happening. This has nothing to do with people being selfish or heartless. Take some time to read up on this phenomena...it may surprise you how often this happens all over the world.

Eric
said

To those people who heard or saw something and did nothing, shame on you. You should be ashamed of yourselves. But don't you worry though, you were safe and warm in your home while this poor woman froze to death on YOUR doorstep. Sad, sad, sad.

Brain Freeze
said

"The city is currently under an extreme cold weather alert." Tragic event. What a tradgedy when people have such an opportunity to step out of their comfort zone and make a difference. Maybe Toronto needs the army patrolling the streets each night? Well just until the people take a liking to helping one another.

Anne
said

I am nauseaus at the thought that those who either heard cries, or "saw someone rolling on the ground" did not at the very least call 911 or lend assistance. There are simply no words to address this travesty. None.

paul from Cape Breton
said

Sounds like a great neighborhood, wow this is pathetic.What ever happened to human kindness or compassion?We are talking about an elderly person here.I'm sick to my stomach!

Mark from brampton
said

I used to back onto a city park. I would only call the cops on weekends when I didn't hear screaming behind my house. That is when I knew something bad was up.

randy
said

I would rather hear the silence of self-reflection here, paired with an iron resolve never to let it happen again, ever, anywhere. Self-righteous recrimination only deepens this tragedy. "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone."

B. Kelley, Ontario
said

@Doug - "Every one is criminally negligent who in doing anything, or in omitting to do anything that it is his duty to do, shows wanton or reckless disregard for the lives or safety of other persons." - Criminal Code of Canada. The shoe fits my friend, no matter how you try to rationalize it.

Colin
said

What a shame. This could've been so easily avoided if someone had the hear to ask the woman if she was okay, or barring that, phoning the police and reporting the incident.

karen
said

When I heard of where this happened, two things come to my mind. First, it is so close to a Senior home. Yet a senior suffered this. Did any staff from the Senior home hear her cry? Second, it is an area of many non-English-speaking people. Could the language and/or the culture play a factor that no one helped?

Gord. Robson, Nova Scotia
said

What a shame. Heard crys for help and ignored them ! One person saw someone rolling around on the ground ? How can you all live with yourselves? Shame on you!!

Paula
said

What a nightmare for the family how sad.When living with a person who has this disease saftey is a huge concern, a simple alarm intalled on the door. Could that have prevented her from leaving the house? My condolenese to the family. RIP

Denise
said

Those who heard screaming & couldn't even make the effort to phone the police should consider themselves responsible for her death. Shameful, cowardly people!

Dave
said

This happens every day to one extent or another, I bet every person showing indignation at this story has walked past a homeless person with out even pausing to think if there was something you could do to help ...showing disgust at apathy is easy after the fact , a little empathy before it happens requires more work

Mike on PEI
said

For all of the people whining about how "bad" or "immoral" things are now, or blather on about the "good old days" - you are deluded.
Crime rates are down, people live longer,and the reason you even hear about a death in another city is because the media makes transmission of information easy.
Nostalgia is a wish for a time that never existed except in the better memories you paint for yourself.

Sergio
said

Pleeeeeese...spare humanity the obvious sympathy this storey is trying to evoke. Read the storey!!! The husband wakes up at 2am. Neighbors in the area hear something at 2am. The husband calls family, not Police. 2 hours later, the Police are called. She is found dead at 6am one block away. You mean to tell me after 2 hours of searching by the family and possibly another 2 by police , they don't notice her one block away. Does neighbors not responding have anything to do with her dying at this point?

Gloria
said

My condolences to the deceased lady's family.
My mother suffered from a similar ailment for the last 5 years of her life, though no diagnosis was ever made.
I live in a safe area of High Park, 1/2 a block from Bloor Street. If I heard someone pleading for help, I would call the police immediately.
But the bars let out at about this time, and some youngerneighbours do come home around this time and I would first look outside to see what the problem is(if I was awake) before calling the police about screaming. As my bedroom is near the street, I do sometimes hear screaming from people coming home from the bars.

Doug
said

Only a couple of people here are actually correct in their responses, while the rest of you range from being over emotional to the completely ridiculous B. Kelly's comment is particualrly absurd. Criminal Negligence causing death charges!? Did they lock her out of her own house or physically place her out in the cold? This is called bystander effect, generally what happens is people don't call the authorities/police thinking that someone else has. There have even been cases where people have sat and watched someone get murdered in the middle of the street without phoning the police. The person who actually saw her rolling around is more dubious, but like the other couple of neighbours if I heard people screaming I might think it could be anything, a couple of drunks, a domestic argument etc. Should I now phone police every single time I hear strange noises at 2 am? I think this death has more to do with the elderly woman suffering from the horrible condition of Alzheimer's then neighbours neglect. But hopefully if I'm old and suffering I'll be surrounded by neighbours like the commenters here who are perfect in everything they do in life and are so superior in psychological makeup to the rest of us that commonly known group behaviours don't apply to them.

Raj
said

Only the police know exactly what unfolded. If someone saw the lady in obvious distress calling for help and did not assist by at least calling 911 for help, charges should be laid:

1: failure to provide the necessities of life

2: criminal negligence

I understand the possible danger in stepping out at night and getting involved. But not calling the police or paramedics?

jeanne
said

This is unbelievable!!! I am wondering if anyone actually heard her? I know most people would go out to help her or call the police - we are not so uncaring as that. May God be with her.

Cathy
said

This could happen anywhere, not just new york or Toronto. Most people are so self-involved that they think of noone else but themselves.It is a"how will it affect me" attitude.My condolences to the family and i hope the people in that area think about this tragedy often and remind themselves that it could be any one of them in the future that needs help.

Meagan
said

All you have to do is look at the poor street/stray cats thrown out onto Toronto and especially Montreal's streets to know how cold-hearted people have become. It does not surprise me that this poor woman died because of people's lack of concern. A society's treatment towards its pets/cats/dogs tossed onto streets is a good indicator on how they feel in general about empathy towards anyone or anything. Sad!

Michael
said

This happen to my Father at one time, he had Alzheimer's disease
also.he also walked out in the freezing cold in the middle of the night.He was found by a good neighbour at six o'clock in the mornning.My Father was found on the sidewalk half frozen to death.
But thanks to a good neighbour my Father was found and taken to the hospital after he left the hospital after many weeks, we put him into a nursing home.

Doug # BC
said

This is absolutely sickening to read about.Just how bad do our cities have to get before we wake up? A woman cries out for help an not one person picks up the phone.If you're one of the people who heard he,and did nothing,I hope you can live with yourself.
Given the crime and danger on our city streets,it's not to hard to understand how people might be reluctant to go out after dark.But not so much as a 911 call is inexcusable.Never did I think Canadian cities would get this callous and uncaring.
Rest in peace my friend.Many will have to live with the knowledge that they could have helped,but chose not to.

Jimmy
said

What a sad story. Shame on you Toronto. The frost may thaw, but your frozen hearts, perhaps, never will. I just hope that I never find myself in need of help in Toronto.

AngryNorth
said

So the police are upset because no one did anything to help this lady. I get that - these are some pretty morally bankrupt times we live in. What I'd like to know is: When people called the cops to report the distressed screaming in there neighborhood at 2am-ish - what was the response time? 10 mins? 1 hr? More perhaps?

Jay
said

Yeah, let's all jump on the Hate Toronto bandwagon and brand everyone from the city with the same brush.

Burning crosses on the lawn of an inter-racial couple in Nova Scotia, monthly drive-by shooting in Vancouver, man dies in Winnipeg emergency room after being ignored for 34 hours, and one of my friends was murdered in Albert a just two years ago. But let's go ahead and blame all Torontonians for for this tragic event.

This perpetuated myth of all people in Toronto being the evil of Canada is just getting old a tired. It's becoming such a sad attempt at self adulation. People should really stop throwing stones form there own glass house.

Len Chapman
said

Reading this, ripped my heart out... Apathy creates a ripple with no logical end.

Tanya
said

My condolences to the family of this poor lady.
To the neighbours who did nothing... Why?

I'm sure others must be wondering the same things I am and that's
- What possible harm could have come to you from making a 911 call?
- How, in good conscience, could you be willing to admit to the police that you heard cries for help or saw a lady on the ground and then completely ignore it?

I would be very interested to know the demographic regarding age and ethnicity in this area.

What a hideous display of metropolitan apathy!

Very sad
said

It's a very sad thing to happen! Hopefully her family will be alright! I just want to say that Toronto is a very very big city, and I feel further sadness when people use events like this to trash talk the city. My feeling is "Toronto" is too easily used as a punching bag for bad news from anywhere in the GTA. To me it seems half the bad news happen outside practical city limits, where people are different than those in the downtown core. To the rest of the country, it happens in "Toronto". It's just ironic that this 'cold' Toronto death happened in a place which 12 years ago was not part of Toronto. I am trying to say that downtown has wholly different bad news than in the suburbs, and vice versa, but all bad news seems to take on the feeling that it's a Toronto-wide problem when that's hardly the case.

Rob
said

Sad, sad day in Toronto.

Craig
said

This is a true tragedy. I just hope we as a society can learn from this terrible mistake.

Dan
said

This same scenario happened to me almost a year ago to the day. I was mugged by a few people in the middle of the night on a night w/ the same temp. as last evening. They beat me up unconcious and left me for dead on the side of the road. After I regained cociousness i tried to get up but couldn't, was badly hurt so I cried out for help. Then I passed out again, but luckily someone heard my pleas and called the police> So thank you, city of Hamilton and the hamilton police for saving my life.

And God will say.....
said

When I cried for help where were you? When I needed food where were you? When I was in pain where were you? When did you ever help one of mine?

selina
said

this just breaks my heart ,what is wrong with people get off your ass and do something .

Scott
said

This is where the rubber meets the road.
Are we members of humanity or not.
Ignore this fake fear of terrorism that has been beat into our brains.
It's time to decide which side we are on.

Connie
said

As a New Yorker, living in Montreal, I can say these acts of cowardice and selfishness happen everywhere unforunately. Oh Zelda, your generalization is sad and misled. I awoke to a man screaming for help on my street one winter night years ago. One man was beating the stuffing out of another man. I yelled out my window that I'd called the police. I called 911, put on my coat, grabbed one of my dogs and went for a walk to point out suspec to police if I needed to. Might I add, my husband awoke to ask "what are you doing, you're pregnant" No worries, I said, and off we went. My prayers are with that woman's family. So preventable. Where was her village when she needed it. Karma will catch up.

Seen similar before
said

I note the messages condeming the people who did not offer help. While their actions cannot be condoned,this is all too common. Several years ago in the heavy snowfall over March break I knocked on several neighbours doors looking for help at 1:00am while stuggling to free the only taxi who'd brought my husband home. Only one person on half the street even got out of bed and came to help. The general attitude is 'not my problem, don't want to get involved'.

Brian
said

Unfortunatly this is not the first story of it's kind or sadly the last. We have a complasant attitude in this sociaty nowadays that someone else will do somthing. It happens everywhere not just Toronto. People need to start careing again. PS. Sorry for my poor spelling.

Barb Germann
said

My condolences to the family - I am so sorry for your loss. Its a horrible disease for everyone to have to cope with.

Matt in NB
said

How could someone in their right mind see a human-being "rolling on the ground in distress" in -20 weather, at 2:00 am in the morning and not call 911.

That's just sick. This is completely unexcusable. To those people that could have helped but didn't. Let me tell you guilt is a heavy weight to burden. How would you feel if it was your wife, mother, grand mother, sister Or even worse what if you were person crying out for your life, While poeple just turn a blind eye???

What comes around goes around and I wouldn't wish this type of slow painfull death on anyone.

Ann
said

This is one of my biggest fears, that I will fall outside and freeze to death! (I have a knee that gives out). I hope all of you who heard her cries and did nothing suffer a similar fate, and no one helps you! What a disgustingly selfish people!

B. Kelley, Disgusted in Ontario
said

The term "criminal negligence resulting in death" comes immediately to mind. Those who ignored her cries for help should be charged by police and vigorously prosecuted by the Crown Attorney. What else could you call a blatant refusal to pick up a telephone and call 911 in order to save someone's life? Any society that becomes so callous and self-centered that they would allow such a thing to occur without the negligent people being brought to justice has no business calling itself civilized. Those who literally ignored this poor woman to death should be staring at four grey walls for an extended period of time. The saying goes that the true measure of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. So what's our score?

Maggie
said

Avoiding being involved is a behaviour not just prevalent in Toronto. Many years ago in a major British city, I came across an older man lying on the pavement with people veering round him muttering insults about being drunk. Thinking that even drunk he needed assistance to move from his present situation I investigated closer to discover he had had a heart attack. This took place outside a blood bank donation centre, where I was headed. Help from medical staff had been but a few feet away but for whatever reason nobody had raised the alarm.

Johnny Park
said

Yeah..that sounds about right for Toronto. An embarrassment of a city full of soulless human waste. Nice going you bunch of jerks..as if anything us people with souls could say would ever jump-start your conscience-free hearts in action.

mob
said

It is a sad situation when people are so scared to get involved in any situation.
As my mother keeps telling me. Don't get involved, they may have a gun.
I still get involved, but now I may think about the consequences first.
We have to start caring again.
There, but for the love of God go I...
And I am not religious.

shawn
said

Pigs. Anyone who saw and did nothing.

Kim
said

Very sad indeed. It shouldn't matter what city, country or nationality people are. A human being in distress is a human being in distress. Having said that, not all Torontonians are to be painted with the same brush. Thousands of them who live nowhere near that neighbourhood are innocent of this situation - it is only those people who chose not to help who should have to bear the brunt of others anger and should feel ashamed. I would only hope that people the whole country over will learn a valuable lesson in humanity from this tragic event.

Steve
said

I've been saying this for years now. Toronto is the worst city in the country by far. What used to be known as Toronto the good when they actually represented a piece of what it is like to be a Canadian is now Toronto the arrogant, self absorbed, look out for myself capital of disgust. I know there are some good people there but the city as a whole represents everything that the rest of this great country is not.

donna
said

Terrible as this is- not all Torontonians are hard-hearted. while visiting Toronto in 2008 my mother fell at Broadway and Eglinton and so many people stopped to help - even stopping their cars ( I was there so I know) it brings tears to my eyes when I think about it.

Greg Fortney
said

Not just a black eye for Toronto but a black eye for Canada. We should have enough compassion to take care of our own. May God forgive us.

Bill
said

Torontonians are the coldest rudest people I know.

Tony
said

This truly is a black eye for Torontonians. Its a very sad story indeed. The people that heard her cries for help, and even those that saw, and did nothing, are the opposite to what we call 'Hero's', they are 'Cowards', now having to live the rest of their lives knowing what they are and be haunted. My condolences to the family. Alzheimer's is a terrible disease, for it slowly eats away the life you have know and everyone in it. People better start respecting each other regardless, otherwise we will become nothing but animals.

Lynn
said

Is there some kind of (criminal) charge that can be laid for the lack of follow-through here, when witnesses are identified who truly heard and/or saw the victim? We have such charges for "leaving the scene of an accident" etc. It IS criminal to do nothing... so where are the charges? If we don't want our children to be bystanders to bullies (and thus provide the audience and power the bully craves), we cannot allow our adults to be knowing bystanders without responsibility either. There IS a code of human decency...

LisainNS
said

Deplorable behavior no matter what City it was.

These people should be ashamed of themselves, seeing someone rolling on the ground in distress at 2am and not calling anyone.

What is wrong with people today. 6yrs ago, I heard a guy moaning and begging for help outside of the patio door at my ground level apartment, late at night. I called 911, they asked me what he looked like, and I said I was not going near the door, but he needed help. All done, to easy!
Turns out he was drunk and peed all over my patio furniture, but what can you do!

Char
said

Possible reason why people didn't help - Bystander Effect (Social Psychology) When there is an emergency, the more bystanders there are, the less likely it is that any of them will actually help.

Diane Evans
said

The comparison to New York is extremely unfair and I'm sure the people who chose to turn a blind eye to this poor woman will never do it again. At the time, I don't they made a conscious decision to let the woman die. It was a bad judgement call with very sad results.

Robb
said

COLD HEARTED TORONTO - everyone in this neighbourhood should hang their heads in shame.

Granddad Slow Turtle
said

It is absolutely inconceivable that people could be so callous as to ignore the cries of help from an elderly lady lying on a sidewalk in the freezing cold when all they had to do was call 911.

The unlimited capacity for people to NOT do the right thing, even when virtually no effort is required, is both astonishing and tragic.

Rachel
said

As saddened as I am to hear her cries for help were ignored, I'm disgusted that this has now been turned into a forum for bashing Toronto.
All cities have bad apples. Read the news and you'll see that too.

Shawn K
said

This is disgusting and shameful beyond belief.
What the hell is wrong with people today!!??
The fact that ANYONE could hear this womans screams and not do anything shames me to no end... I am finding myself ASHAMED to be considered a Torontonian.

I hate to say this... but I
seriously hope that ANYONE that neglected/ignored this womans pleas for life-saving help, has the same occurrence happen to them and see what it feels like...
You people make me want to puke...
Remember... Karma comes right round...

To the family of this poor woman, my deepest condolences to you.
This should never have happened.

NancyD
said

This is an unbelievable tragedy. People hear a woman screaming at 2am and do nothing? Someone sees someone on the ground and does nothing? Honestly .. too bad these people can't be charged with something.

My condolences to the family. My sincerest apologies ... and frankly I would move ...I wouldn't want to have to look at these people again.

Frank
said

Very sad to hear this. People have got to call 911. What are you scared for? And for those who are saying the City of Toronto is the worst city in Canada, get a life. The reflections of those involved don't reflect me. I was born and raised in this city. I am proud to be a Torontonian and the actions of these looser's in our city and in all cities around the world don't reflect most of us.

Colleen - TO
said

It is absolutely deplorable that all those people heard and even saw this poor soul in distress and did nothing to help!!! What goes around, comes around, my friend. It will either be you or a loved one someday that will be shown the same 'kindness' by so called 'concerned people'. Hope all you fine, upstanding citizens sleep well knowing you didn't do a thing to help prevent her horrible death.

Casey
said

This is the bystander effect- it happens all over the world, not just this one neighbourhood. It's a psychological response in situations like this...

very sad...

Vicky
said

This is a black mark on the city of Toronto indeed. Since when did society become so callous as to not help our fellow man? Have we become so hardened that the cries of an old woman don't move us?? I pray for the family and I pray that I will never become the person that just 'looks away'.

Sly
said

Sorry forgot to include on my previous post, one rotten apple does not mean all apples are rotten. I am not from Toronto and do not want to include all people living in that city to be classified under the same umbrella as the one that heard but did not call the police

Janice
said

How could anyone hear someone cry for help and do nothing? This just doesn't make sense to me. I know so many people today prefer not to get involved. All you had to do is pick up the phone and call 911. What happened to the caring people who used to give a damn?

Sean in Point Edward
said

Even if someone was hestiant to help, it takes no effort to pick up a phone and call an ambulance or police to report the situation. At the very least someone who heard her should have done that.

tom
said

Well, after two years of living in that s***hole city, I'd have to say that sounds about right to me. Live anywhere else in this country and you see the difference in the people, plain as day. Torontonians are so proud of what they are to the point of being a bunch of pompous,arrogant, pretentious assholes...take a good look at this story Toronto, this is the soul of your city crying out.

Bailey
said

This is terrible, my condolences to the family, this should never have happened. People need to take action and call the police to investigate - I hope these people regret what they didn't do and hope that nothing like this ever happens to them.

Aaron
said

The people that live on the street that could hear her yelling for help and to the individual that saw her rolling around on the ground in distress....SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!! What goes around comes around my friends. Karma is a....

Sly
said

hmmm What about calling 911 or do people in big city don't have phone....

terry
said

Words cannot express how saddened I was to read this article. This is not just a taint on Toronto... this is a shame for Canada. My heart goes out to this family.
May we start treating people how we would like to be treated.
A concerned citizen

Lynn
said

This is absolutely DISGUSTING that not one person called 911. Totally unacceptable..Poor lady!

PVT
said

Toronto the good?!? More like "No-good Toronto". That city is the scourge of Canada and the people who live in it should be ashamed! Worst city in the country - I would rather live in Regina...

Jackie
said

Even if you feel you cannot help, why wouldn't you call the police. This death never should have happened.

J.C.
said

I find it strange that someone saw her rolling on the ground in distress but did not even call emergency services??? Even if they had been afraid of getting involved etc., they could have just called 911. Are we getting the whole story?? As far as the screams go, around our place we often hear the teenagers screaming but when we check out the window it is usually unimportannt as they are just fooling around.It is shameful that no one thought to call for assistance in this event, after seeing someone on the ground!!

Elisa
said

I am very saddened by the death of this senior and extend my condolences to her family. I am also extremely disturbed that individuals heard screaming in the streets and did not have the decency to help (or call emergency workers to help). This is a sad day.

Barb Flynn McDonalds Corners
said

Thats disgusting !!! Whats the matter with people???

marcho
said

I can't believe that people are actually admitting to hearing this women scream for help but now they are actually saying they seen something roll around on the ground ad NOBODY would go help her. This is gross to think that people like this are out there, what have we become as humans. I wonder if it was the mother or grandmother out there and nobody went out how they would feel????

Denis in Ontario
said

Not knowing the circumstances of someone on the ground, I understand people being hesitant to help. But this was a elderly lady in full distress. The neighbours should be ashamed of themselves. They could have just brought out a blanket to cover the lady. It would have kept her warm and might have allowed the time needed for the emergency personel to provide the necesary life saving. I hope they regret not helping for the rest of their lives.

mw in TO
said

How sad a city we live in when no one bothered to check if she was okay after seeing her rolling around in "distress" and hearing her scream. My sympathies to her family.

Zelda
said

People heard her screaming and saw her rolling on the ground in distress, and did nothing to help??! When did Toronto turn into New York City?

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