Police say a mother of three who died of her injuries inside her Toronto home over the weekend was killed by an unknown intruder who entered through a side window.

Sometime between 10:30 p.m. on Friday night and 2:15 a.m. on Saturday morning, someone entered a home in East York via the side window and “caused the death” of 41-year-old Rhoderie Estrada, Det. Sgt. Mike Carbone with the Toronto Police Service’s homicide unit told reporters.

Officers say a 911 call came from inside the home. When police arrived, they found Estrada in the upstairs bedroom with obvious signs of trauma. She was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Estrada worked as a nurse at Toronto's St. Joseph's Health Centre since 2001.

“(She) was a well-respected clinician and leader to her colleagues, as well as a friend,” the hospital said in a statement. “She will be greatly missed by everyone who knew her at St. Joe's.”

“We extend our deepest condolences to Rhoderie’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”

Estrada’s husband Gerald Aquintey owns a restaurant called Tinuno less than four kilometres from their home. Tinuno was open for business over the weekend, but staff said the owner was not working. Police are examining surveillance video at the restaurant.

The couple have three daughters aged eight, 12 and 13. Friends of girls told CTV Toronto that all three were asleep in their beds when their mother was killed, and they woke up when they heard their father yelling while calling 911.

“The children and I are okay, please continue to pray for my wife's family and my children,” Aquintey wrote in a Facebook post Monday morning. https://www.facebook.com/gerald.aquintey

"She's a lovely mother,” Minda Formendos, a neighbour who babysat Estrada’s children, told CTV Toronto. “I came to know how she disciplined (her children) and how she loved them and how close they were. It’s so sad."

Friends and family have placed flowers outside the home where the family lived for more than seven years.

In East York, Estrada’s death has left residents on edge.

"We do have security on our house…but yeah, that's troubling," said Alex Brown, who lives in the area.

With a report from CTV Toronto’s John Musselman and Janice Golding