One of two bodies removed from the home of billionaire founder of Canadian pharmaceutical firm Apotex Inc., Barry Sherman and his wife Honey, who were found dead under circumstances that police described as "suspicious" Friday. Honey Sherman, on the other hand, was described as a dedicated philanthropist. On Sunday night, Toronto police announced that its homicide team was leading the investigation, and that “the cause of death for both deceased was ligature neck compression.” 
 
 The couple’s real estate agent found their bodies hanging by their indoor pool, according to a person close to the family and local news reports. The homicide squad is now in charge of the investigation, although police were still classifying the deaths as "suspicious," not a homicide, in their Sunday night statement. "Our parents shared an enthusiasm for life and commitment to their family and community totally inconsistent with the rumours regrettably circulated in the media as to the circumstances surrounding their deaths," the family said in a statement released Saturday evening. Story continues below advertisement 
 
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 "We are shocked and think it's irresponsible that police sources have reportedly advised the media of a theory which neither their family, their friends nor their colleagues believe to be true." Toronto police did not officially confirm until late Sunday that the bodies discovered at 50 Old Colony Rd. A Toronto police source told The Globe and Mail that a real estate agent who had been helping to sell the Shermans' North York home – it was recently listed for $6.9-million – discovered the bodies on Friday morning. Price said there were no signs of forced entry into the home, and that police were not searching for any outstanding suspects. As tributes and condolences poured in over the weekend – including from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Toronto Mayor John Tory – friends of the Shermans in Toronto's tight-knit Jewish community struggled to find an explanation for their deaths. Story continues below advertisement 
 
 "It was like being hit with a bolt of lightning on Friday," said Paul Godfrey, the chief executive officer of Postmedia Network Inc., who has known the Shermans socially for more than 25 years. Mr. Sherman's net worth was recently estimated to be $4.77-billion by Canadian Business, an online magazine, making him the 15th-richest person in Canada. She also served on the boards of Mount Sinai's Women's Auxiliary, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the International American Joint Distribution Committee. He says Barry was dedicated to his work. Mr. Rubin described the couple as kind and generous, and says he was shocked by the news of their deaths, and expressed disbelief that it could have been a murder-suicide.
– The investigation into the mysterious deaths of a billionaire and his wife is now being led by homicide detectives, police say—suggesting the deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman were either murder-suicide or a double murder. Police, who have described the deaths as "suspicious," revealed Sunday that the cause of death for both Shermans was "ligature neck compression," a form of strangulation, the CBC reports. Sources have told the media that the couple were found hanging near an indoor pool in the basement of their Toronto mansion. Police say they haven't found any sign of forced entry, or a note that could explain what happened to 75-year-old pharmaceutical tycoon Barry Sherman and his 70-year-old wife, both renowned philanthropists. The couple's four children have rejected what they say are "rumors" that the deaths are being investigated as a murder-suicide, and many of the influential couple's friends agree. "There is absolutely zero debate in my mind, this was a double homicide," says Canadian Sen. Linda Frum, a longtime friend of the couple, per the New York Times. The Globe and Mail reports that just days before the bodies were found, Honey Sherman was enthusiastically making plans for their annual trip to Florida, emailing friends that she would be traveling to the state on Dec. 18 and Barry Sherman would join her a week later. The couple also sent out invitations last week to a dinner party at their winter home in Palm Beach.