An 11-year-old girl allegedly murdered by her own father is being remembered by a grieving community, as a makeshift memorial grows outside the home where she was found dead late Thursday evening.
Two vigils have been scheduled to remember Riya Rajkumar - one at 6 p.m. Saturday at Meadowvale Village Green next to the school where she was a grade five student, and a second in Brampton's Garden Square at 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday.
The girl was out with her father on Thursday afternoon, believed to be celebrating her 11th birthday. Her mother called police when Roopesh Rajkumar did not return the girl to her at the agreed-upon time, as comments he had previously made suggested she could be in danger.
The girl was pronounced dead inside her father's Brampton home shortly after an Amber Alert was issued at 11:36 p.m. Thursday.
Roopesh Rajkumar was arrested early Friday morning in the Barrie area. He remains in hospital under guard where he is being treated for injuries, and has been formally charged with first-degree murder by Peel Regional Police.
Brandon Gonez/CP24
"I think every family has its own challenges but how we deal with situations is really important," a mother visiting the memorial with her daughter told our media partners CP24 and CTV News, Saturday afternoon.
"I'm hoping that as a community - particularly as an immigrant community - we can look at this a little bit more closely and come up with solutions rather than focus on the multitude of problems that are in the world at this point," she added.
Both Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown and City Councillor Rowena Santos confirmed they will keep the girl's memories alive.
"We are gathering the artists, the business community, the residents all throughout the city to make sure that we remember Riya in the most beautiful way," Santos said.
Community organization Neighbourhood Watch Brampton is also raising money to pay for Riya's funeral.
As of Saturday afternoon, they had raised over $17,000. You can visit the donation page by clicking here.
Roopesh Rajkumar is expected to appear in court - either via videolink or in person - on Tuesday morning.