After fatal Toronto stabbing, family and friends raise funds to bring Gregoria Alilio home
Gregoria Alilio lived thousands of miles from her mother in the Philippines, but she helped pay for her medicine and daily expenses. Now, after the 47-year-old was fatally stabbed in Toronto on Halloween, her family is raising money to bring her home for her funeral and help her mother meet the expenses Alilio once covered.
Michelle Azbel saw Alilio just two days before she died. For seven years, Alilio had come to Azbel’s home every week, becoming a cherished part of her household. In the fundraiser she set up at the request of Alilio’s niece, Azbel said she was still in shock.
Toronto police found Alilio and a man with stab wounds near Bathurst Street and Finch Avenue West in North York on Oct. 31. The man died at the scene. Alilio died in hospital. Police believe the man was responsible for her death and are investigating the killing as a homicide linked to intimate partner violence.
Azbel is asking Toronto’s Filipino community to donate or share the fundraiser. The money will help cover the cost of returning Alilio’s remains to the Philippines and paying for her funeral. It will also help her mother afford the medication and daily necessities her daughter helped provide.
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