BRAMPTON - The mother of an 11-year-old girl allegedly killed by her father last week says she is heartbroken that she will never see her daughter again.
In a statement read by Peel Regional Police interim Chief Chris McCord, Priya Ramdin says her daughter, Riya Rajkumar, always looked at the positives in life.
Hundreds came out to Brampton's Garden Square Tuesday evening to remember the girl who was killed on her 11th birthday.
Ramdin says Riya was a dreamer and wanted to become a doctor, drive a Lamborghini and own a mansion.
She and the rest of Riya's family could not attend the vigil in person as they were at a visitation ahead of her funeral on Wednesday.
Faith leaders, members of Peel Police and the wife of Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown - who could not be there himself as he was out of town - also spoke at the vigil.
Dozens of people turned out at the Etobicoke funeral home to pay their respects following the vigil.
Riya became the subject of an Amber Alert late Thursday night after police say her mother allegedly received information that her father planned to hurt both the child and himself.
Riya was later found dead in her father's home in Brampton.
Roopesh Rajkumar, 41, who was arrested some 130 kilometres away in Oro-Medonte, was hospitalized with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and charged with first-degree murder.
He was originally scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday but was not given medical clearance to do so.
- With files from Jackie Rosen/NEWSTALK1010