TORONTO — A 29-year-old woman is dead after falling three stories while exploring a building in downtown Toronto.
Toronto Police initially said the man and woman were looking for ghosts because they thought the building was haunted but by Thursday afternoon would only say the pair were exploring the historic, gothic-style, building on the University of Toronto campus.
Police — who have now labeled the incident “death by misadventure” — said the man and the woman entered the building around two a.m.
The pair, who were on a first date after meeting on the Internet, made it to a third floor roof and were trying to cross to another section of the building. The man successfully made the leap but as the woman tried to crawl across she fell, according to police.
“It has no support,” said Toronto Police Constable Tony Vella. “So as soon as she put her body weight on the wiring system it collapses.”
Constructed in 1875, the building was originally the home of Knox College before becoming the Spadina Military Hospital during the First World War and then a laboratory.
It currently houses offices, art studios and parking services.
In January, 2001, fifty-year-old David Buller, an artist and visual arts professor was found stabbed to death in his office in the building.
The case remains unsolved.
Richard Fiennes-Clinton, a guide with Muddy York Walking tours said ghost tours are popular on the U of T campus. Stops include Trinity College, Massey College and University College.
“We don’t go to 1 Spadina Crescent,” Fiennes-Clinton said, in reference to the building the pair entered. “There’s really no ghost stories there.”
Matthew Didier, who runs the website Torontoghosts.org said he has not received any reports the building is haunted.
“I honestly believe that this was a sad case of thrill seekers,” Didier said noting his group does not condone late night investigations that involve trespassing.
Mariyah Rahman, a second-year exchange student who has a class in the building said she understands the appeal of exploring it but has never heard the building was haunted. “It’s an attraction because it looks like a castle,” Rahman said. “It looks creepy.”
An autopsy is scheduled for Friday and police are trying to contact the woman’s family in the United States.
The pair were not students at the U of T and the building was locked, a spokeswoman for the university said.
No criminal charges are expected to be laid.
Source: The Vancouver Sun
Comments for this post
Posts
