Written by Ráséa Perry, CNN Written by Ráséa Perry, CNN
The parents of a girl found dead in the Toronto River say they will be seeking justice when they see the results of an independent autopsy.
“When the chief pathologist did the third autopsy, he said that he was waiting on us because he knew we were going to have another autopsy,” said the girl’s mother, who was not named in the report.
The girl, said to be about 16 or 17 years old, was identified as Anna-Kyra Hyland, by her father. Her body was found in an east Toronto ravine in April. Her death is being investigated by the homicide squad.
On Friday, the Toronto Star published an investigative report that said the incident was revealed last year when the office of the chief forensic pathologist, Dr. Dirk Huyer, contacted the family and provided a written statement about the body’s autopsy.
Controversy has followed the case. In June, the Star reported that an expert witness, a forensic anthropologist, told a judge that a lake near the scene where Hyland’s body was found “was too shallow” for her daughter to have entered.
The Star also reported that investigators had searched the area with sonar, but found no trace of the body.
The Star has since obtained a copy of a report from the chief pathologist’s office, which reads: “There was no evidence of a canoe or kayak in the water near the steps that collapsed in the water and in the rough, swift water. Therefore we can rule out the possibility that the victim was walking along these inclines.”
But the person responsible for the July 5 report, who spoke with CNN on condition of anonymity, disputed that finding. She said a complete canoe search had been carried out and that the platform which collapsed had been inspected by the Toronto police marine unit, the Toronto police force’s marine unit, the fire department and Toronto’s harbor masters.
The pathologist’s office has not responded to CNN’s questions about what may have happened.
“Somebody, whether it’s the master pathologist or not, that clearly doesn’t have the information that we have … we believe they need to be more transparent in what they have and what they don’t have,” said the girl’s father.
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Speaking to CNN’s Daybreak, Hyland’s mother said she still questions whether her daughter died alone in the water.
“When the child’s body was found, they were told that there was no explanation, that there was no conclusion, that we didn’t know where she died, and there wasn’t any reason why she was in that water. We still have no idea that she died alone in the water, because somebody has to know.”
The girl’s parents also criticized the pathologist who performed the autopsy. “I don’t think his information was as professional as it should be. We feel like that he gave us a vision,” said the father.
Hyland’s parents also said they have contacted the Ontario pathologist’s office and requested a second autopsy and that an independent body be retained to conduct the second investigation.
Huyer has been forced to deliver a public apology over the office’s handling of the case. He has assured the family and the public that his office would cooperate with all government agencies investigating the case.
The family has also asked for an investigation into the handling of the case by local police and the chief pathologist’s office.