Police seek to question third man about Cree woman’s mysterious Toronto condo death
Toronto police investigators are now seeking to question a third man in relation to the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of a Cree woman who fell 31 storeys from the balcony of a Toronto condo this past July, APTN National News has learned.
By Jorge Barrera
APTN National News
Toronto police investigators are now seeking to question a third man in relation to the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of a Cree woman who fell 31 storeys from the balcony of a Toronto condo this past July, APTN National News has learned.
Police are still trying to determine what led to Bella Laboucan-McLean’s death in the early morning hours of July 20, 2013.
Investigators have already questioned two men and two women who were at a party in condo unit 3109 at the time when Laboucan-McLean, 25, fell to her death.
Nobody in the condo called police at the time of the incident. A man from the condo called in a missing persons report on Laboucan-McLean 12 hours after she fell from the a balcony on the 31st floor of 21 Iceboat Terr.
Investigators are still trying to determine whether the death was suicide, accidental or murder. The case has not been transferred to homicide detectives and is in the hands of Toronto police’s 14 Division’s criminal investigation bureau.
They hope to discover whether there were any spikes in data transfers or phone calls to and from cells at the time of the fateful fall.
It could take up to three months for police to obtain the records from cell phone service providers, according to a police source close to the investigation.
Investigators, however, have managed to confirm the identity of a third man who was also in the condo at the time of the incident, according to the police source.
Investigators knew early on that a man named “Sergio” was also at the party, but failed to glean any information beyond his first name from their interviews.
He has since been identified as Sergio Abreu who appears to be friends with Andrew James, aka Ox, the man who was renting unit 3109.
The two were pictured together at the Tryst nightclub in December 2012, according to Facebook photos.
The two men were also photographed together at Tryst on July 19, 2013, the same night Laboucan-McLean went to the club with friend Antony Rankine. The four later went to James’ condo with two women from Montreal.
Abreu is currently unemployed and no longer has an active cell phone number, according to a relative contacted by APTN National News.
Abreu did not respond to requests for comment from APTN National News.
Investigators made contact with Abreu last week.
Police were alerted to Laboucan-McLean’s death at about 5 a.m. when a neighbour called police after hearing a strange sound and seeing a body on the ground.
Investigators went into the condo building and began knocking on doors from the section of the building from where they believed she fell.
They came up empty. Investigators believe the party was still going at the time of Laboucan-McLean’s death.
“They were partying when the police was called at 5 a.m.,” said the police source.
Rankine, who is also a hip hop artist named Scandalis, told APTN National News that no one knew Laboucan-McLean had disappeared until they woke later in the day.
“The truth has been told already,” said Rankine. “None of us knew she fell until we woke up next day. The police have all this information.”
Laboucan-McLean grew up in her mother’s community of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation in Alberta. Her father Billy Joe Laboucan is the Chief of the Lubicon Lake Band.
She had recently graduated from Humber College’s Fashion Arts program and was planning to launch a career in the industry. She also attended the University of Alberta.
Her death stunned her friends and family who believe there is no way she would have taken her own life.
A vigil held near the spot where she died was attended by actor Tantoo Cardinal and author Naomi Klein.
@JorgeBarrera
