An ordinary Monday afternoon descended into a nightmare after a Canadian mother noticed her apartment was suspiciously quiet and brighter than usual.
Sajedeh Taheri was then horrified to find out that her four-year-old son, Eliyah Pirani, had fallen from their sixth-floor apartment in the Sandy Hill neighborhood of Ottawa.
'I thought, why is it so quiet suddenly? Why's there extra light coming in the building? What happened? Where is Eliyah? I called him,' Taheri told local Canadian news outlet CTV News.
Taheri then realized that her son had accidentally plunged out of a window that was not supposed to fully open.
She told CTV that after making the tragic discovery, she sprinted outside barefoot and called 911.
The family said that the windows in their apartment are typically closed, but were cracked open because it was a hot day. They added that the other windows in their unit never fully opened.
Homestead, the rental company that manages the family's unit, said in a statement that window restrictors are required in its buildings and should not be altered.
'We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident, and our hearts go out to the child's family, loved ones and all those affected,' Homestead said.
A Canadian family, pictured above, lost their son Eliyah (left), on Monday after he fell out of their apartment window
Eliyah Pirani, pictured, died after he fell out of a sixth-floor apartment window. His mother recently opened up about the harrowing experience to a local news station
The company added that residents' safety is a top priority and that they had not received any complaints regarding window restrictors, but would inspect all units following the tragedy.
Eliyah's aunt told CTV that management later came to safeguard the window and inspect the unit without coordinating with the parents.
Taheri and Eliyah's father, Mohammad Pirani, said they wanted the public to know that they are caring parents.
'We were not irresponsible parents. That's it. We were caring parents. This is what people, they need to hear,' Pirani said.
Eliyah's parents said he loved animals, nature, painting and was a kind brother to their other child
Taheri said her son loved animals, nature, painting and was a kind brother. Pirani added that Eliyah was given to their family by God.
According to Taheri's Facebook account, the family is from Tehran, Iran, and the couple has been married since 2017.
Pirani's Facebook account says he is an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa, while Taheri's lists her as a mechanical design engineer.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the family, Ottawa Police and Homestead for comment.