Police continue ‘active and ongoing’ hunt for man accused of killing 2 in Toronto

A manhunt for the suspect accused of killing two women at an Etobicoke home continues, days after Toronto police first started searching for a man known to wear a cowboy outfit.

Toronto police announced on Friday evening that homicide detectives were leading the search for Joseph Ayala, 33, after two of his female relatives were found dead at an address near Sheldon and Silvercrest avenues.

Police said the 82 and 60-year-old women were “beyond help” and declared dead at the scene when officers arrived around 1 p.m. on Friday. Investigators said they were related to Ayala but refused to be drawn on how they died or what their relationship was.

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Ayala is wanted on two counts of second-degree murder, police said. He is described as five-foot, 11-inches with a shaved head. Police said Ayala was known to wear a cowboy hat, jacket with tassels on the sleeves and boots.

An image of Ayala was released on Sunday evening by police.

2:45 Toronto police hunt for man known to wear cowboy hat, boots after 2 women found dead in Etobicoke

On Monday afternoon, a Toronto police spokesperson told Global News the investigative remained “active and ongoing” and that officers continued to urge Ayala to turn himself in.

“We want to thank everyone for all the tips we have received,” they said. The force would not comment on whether or not they believed Ayala was still in Toronto or if sightings had been reported.

The investigation is being led by Toronto police’s homicide unit.

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