Deaths of billionaire couple called ‘suspicious’

Their bodies were found in the basement of their $7 million home in Toronto’s affluent North York neighborhood on Friday by a real estate agent preparing the mansion for an open house.

But as word spread of the deaths of Honey and Barry Sherman, neighbors, family members and people who had been touched by the billionaire couple’s philanthropy found themselves poring over the final weeks of the Shermans’ lives, trying to figure out why investigators had described their deaths with the word “suspicious.”

“The circumstances of their death appear suspicious, and we are treating it that way,” Constable David Hopkinson told The Associated Press at a news conference held Saturday outside the couple’s home. Hopkinson said the autopsies were being performed.

Police released few details about the case or what led to their suspicions. Hopkinson said there was no sign of forced entry at the Shermans’ home, but authorities have been otherwise tight-lipped.

Barry Sherman, 75, the founder of Canadian pharmaceutical giant Apotex, was one of the richest people in the world. Forbes estimated his net worth at $3.2 billion, good for the 12th spot on the list of the richest Canadians. He had appeared on Forbes list of the world’s billionaires for the past 15 years.

And the Shermans were generous with their largesse, doling out tens of millions of dollars to universities, hospitals and the United Jewish Appeal, according to The Globe and Mail, a Toronto newspaper.

They are survived by their four children, including one who just gave them a grandchild.