Toronto police have identified the victim of a fatal machete attack in Scarborough on Wednesday night, and said she was in a previous relationship with the accused.

Tharshika Jeganathan, 27, of Toronto was found by police officers between 68 and 66 Fishery Rd., near Morrish and Ellesmere Rds., with signs of trauma around 6:15 p.m.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sasikaran Thanapalasingam, 38, of Toronto has been charged with first-degree murder after he surrendered to police at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Toronto police said in an email to the Star that the two were in a “previous relationship.”

Thanapalasingam appeared in court briefly at 1911 Eglinton Ave. E. on Thursday afternoon, wearing an orange jumpsuit. He sat in the prisoner’s box without addressing the court.

He will next appear in court Sept. 18, where a Tamil interpreter will be present.

Court staff said he was charged with assault in 2017 but acquitted. He failed to comply with a bail condition related to that, but had a conditional discharge with probation.

Neighbours on the quiet Scarborough residential street said they heard screams Wednesday evening, and were shocked that the attack happened in their peaceful neighbourhood.

Dinesh Lad was working outside in his yard when he heard the screams.

“Horrible screaming, I’ve never heard such a thing,” Dinesh told the Star on Thursday.

Another neighbour, Pushpa Rajapakse, heard “very violent screams” when she was in her garden on the night of the attack. Rajapakse ran down the street and saw the victim lying on the grass while people helped her and called 911.

“It is shocking, I couldn’t sleep last night,” Rajapakse said.

“It echoed, the scream, in my ears.”

Rajapakse said the victim was a tenant in a home on Fishery Rd. and worked at a nearby Dollarama.

Dollarama confirmed she worked there.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the sudden loss of one of our employees. Our sincere condolences go out to the family, friends and colleagues of the victim of this terrible tragedy,” a statement from a company spokesperson read.

Alban and Claudette Mason have lived on the street for more than 30 years and were inside their home when police cars arrived and they saw the flashing lights. Claudette thought maybe there had been an accident or someone had gotten sick.

“And then I saw the tarp,” she said.

“I gasped for breath there I was really, really surprised.”

Documents show that Thanapalasingam filed for bankruptcy in May 2018, citing “marital breakdown and financial mismanagement.”

He lists his address at a Scarborough apartment building about a 15 minute drive from where the attack happened, and his occupation as machine operator. The document also says he’s been separated since 2017.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Homicide investigators have taken over the investigation. A post-mortem examination was scheduled for Thursday.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7400, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477.

This is the city’s 45th homicide of the year. Click here to see Toronto police’s crime map for 2019.

With files from Wendy Gillis and Toronto Star Library