The lifeless body of a woman bearing signs of violence was found in a dwelling in the Centre-Sud district, in the Ville-Marie borough, on Wednesday. Montreal police confirmed shortly after that it was the first homicide to occur on its territory this year.
The police first showed up at the start of the day on Wednesday, shortly after 7 a.m., in an apartment on rue Fullum not far from rue de Rouen, to check the state of health of the occupant after a call received at the 911 central.
Speaking at the time of a “suspicious death”, the authorities then confirmed that it was a murder. The victim is a woman whose age had not been specified at the time of this writing.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Police intervention at the scene of the crime, Wednesday
A man was identified shortly after the incident, before being met by investigators. Officially, he is still considered an “important witness” so far and no charges have yet been filed against him. According to our information, the man arrested by the investigators is the son of the victim. He would be in his twenties.
Apparent traces of violence
According to the account given by agent Caroline Chèvrefils, spokesperson for the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), the victim’s body bore marks of violence when it was discovered in the early morning.
“The scene will remain protected to allow investigators and forensic identification technicians to do their job,” added Ms.me Chèvrefil, without giving further details. A large security perimeter could therefore remain in place for a good part of the day on Wednesday.
No arrests have yet been made in connection with this event. The Major Crimes Section of the SPVM will be responsible for the file.
It was the first homicide on SPVM territory in 2023, but not across Quebec. At the beginning of January, the police officers of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) had also discovered the lifeless body of Nadine Flora Alinanyinyi, in her home located rue Joseph-Elzéar-Bernier, in Mont-Saint-Hilaire.
The 34-year-old victim had been a resident attendant at the Le Quartier Mont-Saint-Hilaire residence of Le Groupe Maurice since arriving from Cameroon in 2020. She had recently been on maternity leave. And like two of her Cameroonian colleagues, she had been hired at the residence as part of an international recruitment program.
Only a few days later, the SQ had opened an investigation after the discovery of two bodies in an opulent house in Vaudreuil-Dorion, in Montérégie. Without news, a relative had called the police. In this case, it would be a murder committed by a man, followed by a suicide.