Mother charged with 1st-degree murder in deaths of 2 children at Scarborough apartment

A woman recovering in hospital with serious injuries is facing two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her two boys, who were found unconscious at a Scarborough apartment last weekend.

Emergency crews were called to the building on Glamorgan Avenue near Kennedy and Ellesmere Roads just after 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 10, after getting reports a woman had fallen from a balcony.

When police arrived, they found a woman on the ground outside the building in critical condition. Two young boys were found inside an apartment unit several floors up with no vital signs.

The children, aged four and five, were rushed to separate hospitals, where they were pronounced dead.

On Thursday, police charged 25-year-old Vanessa Collias with two counts of first-degree murder. Police said she appeared in court via telephone and was remanded into custody.

Collias remains in serious condition and is recovering in a local hospital. Police are still trying to determine how the woman fell from the balcony, and do not believe anyone else was in the unit at the time of the incident.

The two boys had no visible signs of trauma when they were found, and investigators are still trying to determine the cause, calling the deaths “suspicious.”

“How the two boys died is part of the prosecution and homicide investigators are not prepared to share that information right now,” said Toronto police spokesperson Ashley Visser.

“However, there are sufficient grounds to charge the accused with two counts of first-degree murder charges.
In relation to the next court date, it has yet to be scheduled.”

Neighbours, building staff react with horror after death of young brothers

Neighbours identified the boys to CityNews as Yiani and Mimi and their mother as Collias.

Those who knew the family also revealed that their father, Costa, otherwise known as “Gus,” passed away from cancer just a few weeks ago.

The assistant superintendent at the building said he frequently saw the boys playing in the hallways and around the complex.

“Every day I see them,” he said. “The kids are just amazingly adorable.”

“I’m really somewhat confused about what happened here,” he added. “I always stop and wave at them; you can’t ignore these kids. They are adorable. It really breaks my heart.”

While he said he didn’t know the mother personally, he said she was polite and quiet.

“She’s very private,” he said. “If you smile at her, she smiles back. She’s a pleasant person.”

The emergency response startled neighbour Steve Rafferty, who rushed to his balcony to see what was going on.

When he looked down, he saw the body of a woman.

“I looked down and saw somebody down on the ground and thought that looks like our neighbour, but I wasn’t sure,” he explained.

“Then I heard them doing CPR on the little boys inside.”

Police have been in touch with relatives of the family, who have been cooperating with the investigation.