Toronto police have released the name and photo of the murder victim who was shot and ended up laying dead in the middle of Canada's busiest highway Tuesday.
He's been identified as 29-year-old Dayne Rose of Toronto (pictured).
Police now believe he likely jumped out of the car onto Highway 401 near Keele after being shot, rather than an earlier theory that suggested he was pushed out.
And while the victim now has a name and face, the suspects are still at large.
There were reports that the vehicle the victim apparently bailed out of, a champagne-coloured Lexus, belonged to a woman who was taken in for questioning on Tuesday night, but that turned out to be false.
The actual owner of the car, which was found about an hour later at
2 Armel Ct., right in front of the Humber Valley Golf Course, had for some reason registered the vehicle to a home in Mississauga where she stayed for a short period of time, leading police to the residence.
Several people were taken in for questioning Tuesday night and police soon learned that the owner of the car didn't live at the home, but in fact had merely been given permission by a co-worker to crash in the basement after having personal problems.
"It's very upsetting to me and to my family to be treated in this manner for something that we have no attachment to," said Lola, one of the residents who was detained briefly by authorities. "That's how a good deed turned out," she adds, referring to letting the woman reside in the home. "Well, now we know for next time, right?"
But before Wednesday was out,
CityNews tracked down the car owner and former basement crasher, a woman who claims she was a longtime friend of Rose's but denies any role in his death.
"He was a very good friend of mine, I know him from high school," she said. "No I did not kill him; no I have no connection to who killed him. All I know was he was murdered."
The woman, whose name is now being withheld because of safety concerns, was taken in for questioning and released. She says she was at work at the time of Rose's murder and has plenty of witnesses to support her claim.
"After the way my face was publicized on the Internet on the TV ... we're being harassaed," she explains. "That's where I'm hoping this stops."
Rose tumbled out of the speeding vehicle around 2:45pm Tuesday. It still isn't clear if he was dead when he was tossed from the vehicle or if he was killed from being struck by oncoming traffic. An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday. Police believe he was likely sitting in the front passenger seat, was shot, and then bailed out of the car onto the busy highway, where he eventually succumbed to his injuries.
The disturbing situation prompted police to close down the collectors lanes from 3pm to 11pm as detectives pored over evidence at the scene.
Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact them at
(416) 808-3100.