Muslim mourners bury the caskets Zahra Abdille and her sons Faris and Zain at Thornhill's Greenwood cemetary following funeral services at the Khalid Bin Al-Walid Mosque in Toronto Thursday.J.P. MOCZULSKI
Zahra Abdille and her two young sons were failed by the community, a relative told hundreds of people gathered at their Toronto funeral Friday.
"We didn't do enough to help her," Mughtar Yarow said.
Ms. Abdille, 43 and her sons, Faris, 13, and Zain, 8, were found dead in their apartment at 85 Thorncliffe Park Dr. last Saturday. Hours earlier, Ms. Abdille's husband, Yusuf Osman Abdille, 50, was hit in the southbound lanes of the Don Valley Parkway and died at the scene, police said. Police said they were still investigating whether Mr. Abdille was involved in the homicides.
The director of Dr. Roz's Healing Place has said Ms. Abdille and her sons once stayed for two weeks at the centre for women who are abused.
"We failed her. Many people failed her," said Mr. Yarow, who described himself as Ms. Abdille's distant cousin. Most of the family were still in Somalia, he said.
Mr. Yarow said he didn't know Ms. Abdille had stayed in a women's shelter, but he'd met Mr. Abdille on several occasions and described him as "controlling."
Mr. Yarow said he heard of the homicides while watching the news on Saturday night. "I was like, 'that's where Zahra lives.'" he said. "We kind of knew that they had a rough relationship, but when we heard who it was, our worst fears were confirmed."
The service took place at the Khalid Bin Al-Walid mosque in Etobicoke. During the service, a speaker at the mosque thanked Dr. Roz's Healing Place for supporting the Abdilles, and thanked Ms. Abdille's friends and co-workers for their support.
Marianne Delicieux said she worked with Ms. Abdille for two years at a health clinic in Scarborough. "I was saddened to hear about her death," Ms. Delicieux said. "But it's good to see all these people showing support."
Ms. Abdille's classmates at Ryerson University, where she pursued a master's degree in nursing, posted a statement Friday: "She was always clear that the hard work and effort required to obtain a master's degree in order to become a Nurse Practitioner was well worth it as she was going to better her sons' lives.
"It is a true tragedy when a woman who has both the knowledge and access to resources was still experiencing barriers in our legal system."
The funeral took place the day before the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.