Rori Hache's family demands Oshawa 'house of horrors,' where teen's remains found, be demolished

The family of a young pregnant woman whose body parts were discovered in an Oshawa basement apartment last December is demanding the city demolish the home they call "the house of horrors."   

A demonstration organized by Rori Hache's family was held outside the home on Friday with more than 30 people calling on city council to purchase the property and raze it. 

"We're haunted by this everyday. We have no answers. It hurts a lot of us," said Krysia Meeldyk, the teen's godmother. 

Hache, 18, was reported missing by her family in Oshawa, Ont., on Aug. 29.  Weeks later, a fisherman spotted a torso floating in Lake Ontario near the Oshawa waterfront. At the time, Durham police said it showed "obvious" signs of trauma and deemed the case a homicide investigation.  

Two months later, forensic investigators identified the torso as Hache's. Then, in late December, Durham police found more of the teen's remains in a rental property on McMillan Drive, near Centre Street North and Bond Street West. 

The 2,260 square-foot bungalow has been owned by its current owner since 1987, according to property records obtained by CBC Toronto. 

Adam Strong, the tenant of the basement apartment, was arrested when police made the grisly discovery. The 45-year-old is charged with indecent interference to a dead body. 

Last month, homicide detectives concluded their investigation of the property, handing it back to the owner. Then, this week, Meeldyk says a 'for rent' sign went up. 

That had Meeldyk livid.

"My goddaughter died in there. She was chopped up, flayed like a fish and dispersed in the most horrendous way and nobody's talking about that," Meeldyk told CBC Toronto outside the home on Friday. Durham police confirm Hache was murdered, but no further arrests have been made in connection with her killing.

"We can't just forget what happened," she said. "You can't sweep it under the rug," she said, saying the family still doesn't have closure and is calling on the city to intervene.

The landlord says the upstairs apartment could be rented as early as Saturday. The basement apartment meanwhile remains boarded up. 

But Oshawa mayor John Henry says the city's hands are tied. 

"If this has been seized by the government or by the proceeds of crime, if the building had been structurally deficient, that's a different story," he said. "In this case we don't have a tool to go buy the property other than going to the homeowner and buying it directly."

He added: "But then we would have to demolish all properties where sad things happen."