The Eritrean community has been gripped by shock and disbelief as police searched for two-thirds of a woman’s body Tuesday following the discovery of some remains in a duffel bag.

Adonay Zekarias, 41, was arrested Sunday at his home after the remains were found on a west-end trail last week. He’s charged with indignity to a dead body.

Although homicide detectives are investigating, the case is being treated as a suspicious death.

Police have said they “suspect strongly” who the victim is but won’t release her name until forensic tests are complete and next of kin are notified. However, in court documents they say the woman was Zekarias’ girlfriend, Rigat Ghirmay.

News of the woman’s death has already reached many who knew the couple, including Elen Haile, a former coworker of both Zekarias and Ghirmay.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Haile said. “It’s so bad. She was so hard-working.”

Zekarias and Ghirmay worked together in 2011 as cleaning staff in a downtown hotel, Haile said. She didn’t know whether they were dating at the time, but said they were very close friends.

“He was always after her,” Haile said.

She said Ghirmay told her she had emigrated from Eritrea, in the Horn of Africa, a year earlier and that she had a brother in Toronto. Zekarias is also believed to be from Eritrea and may have family in Canada.

When they were laid off from the hotel, they entered a college personal support worker program, she said.

Haile described the couple’s relationship as extremely close. “Whatever place they go, they go together.”

She also said the accused was quiet and serious. “Sometimes he spoke so softly, you had to ask him to raise his voice.”

Ghirmay is believed to have lived in a downtown Toronto Community Housing apartment near Shuter and Parliament Sts.

Police continued to investigate there Tuesday, along with Zekarias’ home near Weston Rd. and Black Creek Dr., where police searched eight dumpsters.

“All I can tell you is, there’s indications at one of the scenes that there could be criminality that took place there,” said Det. John Margetson, adding he couldn’t say where or how the woman died.

One neighbour said Ghirmay had moved into the 15th floor unit three months earlier. Resident Rhys Gerow, who was shown a photo of the victim by police, recalled seeing her and the accused together in the building. “He was a serious-looking man,” Gerow said.

Zekarias appeared briefly in court Tuesday afternoon wearing a white hooded jumpsuit. He was remanded in custody until Thursday when a Tigrinya interpreter will be able to attend.

The first remains were found Friday when a passerby noticed a strong odour coming from a bag on a trail near Alliance Ave., in the Jane St.-Eglinton Ave. W. area.

The death likely took place in the last two weeks, Margetson said.

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Police were also searching a waste transfer station on Commissioners St. Margetson said all the remains may not be found, noting dumpsters may have gone to London, Ont.

The body parts were found in an area inhabited by coyotes “so it remains to be seen what we’ll be able to locate due to the time factor,” he said. “It could be anywhere in the city or outside of the city.”