Toronto police say clothing and personal property belonging to a woman who was fatally shot last month has been found in a dumpster behind a Scarborough business.
At a news conference Friday afternoon, homicide Det. Sgt. Brian Borg said investigators believe the belongings were thrown into the dumpster by the person or people who killed Leanne Freeman, who was found suffering from a fatal gunshot wound in the Port Lands on Nov. 29.
Nothing has been officially ruled out, Borg said, but police believe Freeman was killed by someone she knew, and they don't believe her death was related to the sex trade.
"We do not believe it was a random event," Borg told reporters.
Borg said the evidence was found in a garbage bin behind a commercial property near Kingston Road and Midland Avenue on Dec. 2.
He said a person found the belongings while throwing out some garbage and then called police. Officers seized the property and obtained surveillance video from cameras in the area.
A person driving along Unwin Avenue found Freeman, who was still alive at the time, lying in the middle of the deserted street.
She was rushed to St. Michael's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead a short time later.
Police previously issued an appeal for tips and warned sex-trade workers to take extra care and precautions to protect themselves because Freeman was known to work as a prostitute, although they now say that lifestyle doesn't appear to be a contributing factor.
Police said Freeman lived a transient lifestyle and moved back to Toronto from Winnipeg about three months ago after living in Manitoba and across Ontario.
Freeman was known to Toronto police, although she doesn't have a criminal record, police said previously.
She was also known to police in Winnipeg, where she was facing outstanding charges at the time of her death.
Earlier this year, Freeman was charged with drug possession, possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of proceeds of crime, a Manitoba court official told CP24.com.
A warrant was issued in mid-August after Freeman failed to show up in court.
Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to call detectives at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477.
With files from CP24's Katie Simpson
