The man charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of little Taliyah Marsman and her mother has ties to Halifax.
Police arrested the man Wednesday night. They found Taliyah’s body Thursday night in a field east of Calgary.
In the wee hours of the morning in the Maritimes, police in Calgary were announcing they had charged Edward Delton Downey with first degree murder in the deaths of 5-year-old Taliyah Marsman and her mother, Sara Baillie.
Downey also goes by Edward Simmonds – the name he’s known by at the courts in Halifax.
Records in Halifax show he had a number of motor vehicle infractions in the late 80s and early 90s. It’s not clear how long he was living in the city.
Taliyah’s father, Colin Marsman, is also from Halifax. However, Thursday night before he discovered his daughter had been murdered, he said he didn’t know the man police had in custody.
“I have no idea who this man is,” Marsman told CTV News. “This has been really hard times for all my family.”
His daughter’s body was found Thursday night abandoned near some grain bins in an Alberta field.
Police say the 5-year-old was murdered before they were even on the case. They don’t know why.
“I can’t speak to Mr. Downey’s motive, he hasn’t made that clear to us at this point,” says Inspector Don Coleman of Calgary Police Major Crimes Unit. “I wouldn’t want to speculate on that.”
46-year-old Downey has no criminal record in Halifax. However, in Calgary, he spent time in and out of prison between 1990 and 2012, for crimes including: aiding and abetting prostitution, cocaine trafficking, and weapons offences.
Memorials are growing in Calgary on Friday. Fundraising pages to help with funeral costs are popping up.
The tragedy is affecting the entire community, whether or not they knew the family.
"You feel quite helpless as someone within the community," says a Calgary school teacher. "The least we can do is come out and show our support, and respect and condolences to the family."
It’s a heartbreaking end to a story that has captivated an entire nation.
“On behalf of all Canadians, I wanted to express our condolences to the families and the people of Calgary for the devastating loss of Taliyah and her mom Sara,” says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Police in Calgary continue to scour several scenes, collecting evidence. They say they’re confident they’ve found the man responsible for taking two innocent lives.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kayla Hounsell.
