A 42-year-old woman found unconscious in a residence where a fire broke out Tuesday evening in the Pointe-aux-Trembles district of Montreal was the victim of a homicide, police say.
Emergency services were called around 7 p.m. to an apartment located on Versailles Street, near Forsyth.
The woman was unconscious when she was found by first responders. Despite efforts to resuscitate her, she was declared dead at the scene, according to Montreal police spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant.
The case was handed over to homicide investigators as “marks of violence,” possibly by a knife, were discovered on the victim’s body.
Police did not reveal the exact nature of these “marks of violence.”
Another woman was found near the scene of the fire. She was injured “in the lower body,” but as of Wednesday morning, it was not yet known whether her injuries were related to the fire or another event.
She was taken to hospital in a state of shock but her life is not believed to be in danger. The relationship between the two women remains unknown.
Currently, the woman found near the scene is considered by police to be an “important witness,” but investigators are still trying to confirm her identity.
She will be met by police once her condition allows. She is not considered a suspect in this case, according to Brabant.
On Wednesday morning, a security perimeter was still in place near the home where the fire took place and a mobile command post was at the scene.
Investigators said they are trying to establish the sequence of events, as well as understand the causes of the fire.
In particular, they said they will go door to door with other tenants in the building, and contact the victim’s relatives to find out more about her.
The major crimes division of the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal is responsible for the investigation.
This is the ninth murder to occur this year on the island of Montreal.
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