A picture of Mariam Makhniashvili released Nov. 9, 2009. The teen went missing in September.police handout
The funeral for Mariam Makhniashvili, the teenager whose disappearance gripped Toronto, will be held next Saturday and will be open to the public, the family's lawyer says.
Ms. Makhniashvili went missing in September, 2009, prompting a massive search.
Police confirmed last week that remains found beneath a highway overpass last month were Ms. Makhniashvili's.
There was no evidence of foul play, police said, and the cause of death was a fall from a significant height.
The family's lawyer, Calvin Barry, said on Thursday that Vakhtang Makhniashvili will "very likely" attend his daughter's funeral escorted by a guard.
Mr. Makhniashvili is serving six years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated assault in relation to stabbing three people since his daughter disappeared at age 17.
Ms. Makhniashvili went missing months after she and her brother moved from the Republic of Georgia to reunite with their parents.
The funeral will be held on March 24 at 1 p.m. at the Newbigging Funeral Home near Eglinton Avenue East and Mount Pleasant Road. A visitation will be held the day before from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Mr. Barry said.
He said members of the public have been calling his office for details. Staff and students from Forest Hill Collegiate Institute, which Ms. Makhniashvili attended for four days before going missing, are also expected to attend.
Lela Tabidze, Ms. Makhniashvili's mother, and the rest of the family appreciate the public support that they've seen in the last week, Mr. Barry said.
"Obviously, it's tragic no matter how someone's life is taken, whether it's by homicide or foul play or the circumstances that have presented themselves here," Mr. Barry said. "But they're all being strong."