SURREY, B.C. — A five-year-old child is dead and a woman has been severely injured in a violent attack and suspected arson in a Surrey, B.C., home.
RCMP say the 42-year-old woman called police late Monday to report she had fled the home after being stabbed, but the child was still in the house.
The woman's attacker, who police say is known to the victims, is alleged to have set the home on fire before driving away.
Firefighters found the body of the five-year-old as they responded to the blaze and the cause of the child's death remains under investigation.
A police statement says a man was seen jumping from a bridge about half an hour later and is presumed dead, while the vehicle belonging to the arson and stabbing suspect was found at the scene.
Sgt. Elenore Sturko says the stabbing and fire do not appear to be random and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is now working alongside Surrey RCMP's serious crime unit.
“This is a heartbreaking incident, and many people in the community, including first responders, will feel the impact of this tragedy,” Sturko says in the statement.
Coquitlam RCMP are searching the Fraser River for the man's body and Sturko says no further details are immediately available.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 6, 2021.
The Canadian Press
