Teen who died after home invasion had seizures

The disabled Toronto girl who died Monday in hospital after a reported weekend home invasion was prone to seizures, police say.

The girl, 16, was found without vital signs in a chair on the main floor of her home at150 Burrows Hall Blvd., near Sheppard Avenue East and Markham Road.

According to the girl's mother,two men rang the doorbell and forced their way into the house at about11:30 a.m. Saturday. They said they were looking for an "unspecified package."

The mother is not a suspect in the girl's death, Det. Sgt. Frank Skubic of Toronto police told a news conference Monday afternoon.

He said one of the men searched the house, taking the mother with him and leaving the other man on the main floor with the girl. Ultimately, they left empty-handed, saying they "must have the wrong house," Skubic said.

An autopsy has been scheduled for Tuesday to determine the girl's cause of death.

"Until a post-mortem is conducted, I cannot classify this as a homicide," Skubic said.

He said the dead girl's father and siblings were away from the house at the time of the invasion.

Police have canvassed the area for witnesses and come up with "some information which may support [there being] unidentified people in the neighbourhood," Skubic said.

"It does seem puzzling," he said. "It'scertainly a unique investigation that we have undertaken."

Police were continuing to look for witnesses on Monday. They asked anyone with information to call them directly orcall Toronto Crime Stoppers, 1-800-222-8477.

The mother described the two men as black and about six feet tall, with Jamaican accents. Police said they were wearing masks, suits and overcoats at the time of the invasion.

Earlier, Const. Tony Vella said the teen, who was physically and mentally disabled, and her 40-year-old mother were home alone at the time. The mother told police that she answered the door.

When emergency workers and police were called to the home, they found the girl without vital signs but with no obvious signs of trauma. She was rushed to hospital in critical condition.