In her Toronto, Ontario, community, Peggy Ann Smith was known to almost everyone as "Nanny Peggy." A 61-year-old mother of three, grandmother to thirteen, and great-grandmother, she was described as the rock of her family and a woman with a heart big enough for the whole neighborhood. Her family remembers her as one of the kindest, most loving people one could ever meet, someone who would do anything for anyone and always put others first. A woman of deep faith, Peggy went to church twice a week and prayed daily for others. Her daughter Lori recalled her as "the greatest mother in the world," whose hugs and kisses were a constant, comforting presence not just for her own family, but for all the community's children.
On the warm summer evening of Saturday, August 27, 2016, Peggy was visiting her daughter's home in the Rivertowne neighborhood, a revitalized community housing area formerly known as Don Mount Court.
At around 6:10 p.m., she was sitting on the back porch with family, enjoying the day in a laneway between Munro Street and Hamilton Street. Suddenly, the sound of at least ten gunshots shattered the peace. As Peggy and her family scrambled to run for safety, she was struck by a stray bullet. She collapsed at the foot of the steps to the home and died at the scene.
The Toronto Police Service responded to reports of gunfire and found Peggy in the alley. Investigators, including Detective Dave Dickinson, quickly determined that the shooting was a targeted, planned attack, but that Peggy Ann Smith was an innocent bystander and not the intended victim. Police believe the gunmen were targeting a group of young men who were in the laneway at the time. The shooting was described by police as a cowardly act and was believed to be part of a gang war between individuals from the former Don Mount Court and nearby Regent Park communities.
The investigation focused on two suspects who were captured on security footage walking south into the area before the shooting, and then seen fleeing northbound toward Dundas Street East. Police released descriptions of the two men. One was described as having a brown complexion, in his 20s, about five-foot-six with an average build and a full beard, wearing a grey hoodie and a black baseball cap. The second suspect was described as a Black male, possibly of Somali descent, in his late teens or early 20s, around five-foot-eleven with a skinny build, also wearing a grey hoodie. Despite releasing the video and descriptions, no arrests have ever been made.
In the days following the senseless killing, the community gathered for vigils, leaving flowers and candles in a makeshift memorial. At her funeral, family remembered a woman with the "biggest heart" who deserved a fuller life. Her grandson, Jerome Smith, called her his angel. In a lasting tribute, and after a petition signed by more than 200 residents, the city officially renamed the laneway where she died "Peggy Ann Smith Lane" in the summer of 2017. Local councillor Paula Fletcher said the tribute would ensure Peggy's caring nature would live on.
On the tenth anniversary of her death in August 2026, Peggy’s family released a statement expressing their unending grief. "Ten years ago, our family's lives changed forever when our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, wife, aunt, and friend, Peggy Ann Smith, was taken from us in a senseless act of violence," the statement read. "Ten years is a long time to live with questions that have never been answered. We want answers. We want accountability. Most importantly, we want justice for Peggy.”
As of August 2026, the murder of Peggy Ann Smith remains one of Toronto's most heartbreaking unsolved homicides. The Toronto Police Service Cold Case Unit continues to investigate and urges anyone with information, no matter how small, to come forward. Detective Sergeant Steve Smith noted that while the case is more challenging with the passage of time, police just need a name to open up new avenues. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Toronto Police Homicide Unit at 416-808-7400 or to leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
