MONTREAL -- An 11-year-old girl is dead and her sister is in hospital after they were found suffering from severe stab wounds in the Villeray borough on Saturday.
The girls' 34-year-old mother was arrested and treated for self-inflicted wounds at the hospital. On Monday, she was charged with second degree murder and attempted murder over the phone from her hospital bed. She is scheduled to appear in court again on May 13.
"Unfortunately the 11-year-old girl succumbed to her injuries in the hospital centre in the evening," said Montreal police (SPVM) spokesperson Julien Levesque.
The girl's five-year-old sister remains in the hospital as her condition has stabilized.
The call was placed at around 6:05 p.m. about an incident in a home on Rousselot St. near Cremazie Blvd. East.
The girls and mother were immediately taken to hospital in extremely serious condition.
Police said an investigation is underway and it is too soon to say what a possible motive may have been.
Police said the girl's death is the fifth homicide in Montreal in 2020.
In an interview with The Canadian Press shortly after the events, Antoine Ortuso, an emergency supervisor at Urgences-Santé, spoke about the "tragic call" that the paramedics received.
He said that four people were taken to hospital, but did not confirm whether the fourth person was the father of the girls whom the neighbors saw outside in shock.
Urgences-Santé staff were also "in shock," said Ortuso.
"These are calls that leave traces for the rest of a career," he said.
Montrealers in distress can take advantage the following resources:
• Tel-Aide Helpline, 1-877-700-2433
• Ligne Parent (helpline for parents), 1-800-361-5085
• Suicide Action Montreal, 1-866-277-3553
All numbers are open 24/7 with staff who can speak English and are ready to listen.
With reporting from The Canadian Press.
