Man wanted for murder of mom, grandmother in Etobicoke last summer apprehended after almost a year on the run

Joseph Ayala has been arrested after a lengthy manhunt after his mother and grandmother were found dead in Etobicoke. Steve Ryan has more on the investigation.

A man who was wanted in connection with the murder of his mother and grandmother in south Etobicoke last summer has been arrested and charged.

The double homicide took place on Aug. 23, 2024 at a home in the Alderwood neighbourhood, near Sheldon and Silvercrest avenues.

Police say they were dispatched to the residence that afternoon after receiving a call from a concerned family member who asked them to conduct a wellbeing check on their relatives.

Once they arrived, officers found two women – age 82 and 60 - dead inside.

The victims have since been identified by police as 60-year-old Sharon Fraser and 82-year-old Colleen Fraser, both of Toronto. They are the city’s 53rd and 54th homicide victims of 2024.

The women’s cause of death has not been released.

In the days following the discovery, investigators issued an arrest warrant for 33-year-old Joseph Ayala and made a public appeal for information on his whereabouts.

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However, nearly a year went by without any arrests in the case.

Neighbours told CTV News Toronto at the time that Ayala lived at the home with his grandmother, Colleen, and mother, Sherry.

Ayala, now 34, was arrested early Monday afternoon in Etobicoke within the boundaries of 22 Division, a police source told CP24.

The Toronto man is facing two counts of second-degree murder.

He is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.