Dartmouth homicide victim remembered as thoughtful, quiet woman

The son of a Dartmouth homicide victim is remembering his mother as a quiet and thoughtful woman.

Nicholas McCabe said his mother, Deborah Irene Yorke, was loved by many people who will miss her.

Yorke, 62, was found dead early Sunday morning at an apartment building at 3 Farthington Place, where she lived in a unit on the top floor.

• Suspicious death in Dartmouth ruled homicide

McCabe, her youngest son, arrived at the building on Wednesday to pick up some items. He said Yorke had lived alone there since February 2017.

Yorke suffered pain from a back injury and tried to run a silk flower business, he said, adding that she loved flowers and her dog.

'It's close to home'

Marjorie and Scott Anderson live in the same apartment building, and while they didn't know Yorke personally, they used to see her out walking her dog.

"First time it's close to home like this," said Marjorie Anderson.

"Literally two floors up from us," added Scott Anderson.

Scott Anderson said he heard unusual noises the morning Yorke's body was found, including what sounded like someone moving furniture.

"I've already told the police on Sunday morning, and I thought it was around 2 a.m. or 2:30 a.m. but Marj said it was a little bit later. I heard what sounded like somebody moving furniture, twice, which is obviously unusual for that time of the morning," he said.

Upcoming community town hall

Folisha Elliott, a community mobilizer with the violence prevention group Ceasefire Halifax, said staff at the organization will be knocking on doors in the area to offer comfort and support.

"These senseless acts of violence aren't acceptable," she said. "We need to change the community norms and stand together in solidarity."

Regional councillor Tony Mancini told CBC News there will be a town hall in the near future with Ceasefire and Halifax Regional Police to allow the community to talk about what happened and to discuss safety concerns.

Halifax Regional Police were at the apartment building for the fourth straight day Wednesday.

Yorke was the second recent homicide victim in the neighbourhood. Derek Miles was found dead in an apartment just two blocks away on Pinecrest Drive two days earlier.

Police said the two unsolved killings do not appear to be random or connected.

The killings are the first two homicide cases of 2018 for Halifax Regional Police.

Separate funerals for Miles and Yorke will be held Friday.