VANCOUVER -- The woman assaulted in a Christmas Eve attack in Duncan, B.C. that left her boyfriend dead has now also passed away, according to family members and the BC Coroners Service.
In an email, the coroner confirmed that it is investigating the death of a woman involved in an incident in Duncan on Dec. 24. She died in hospital Saturday, the coroners service said.
While the coroners service does not confirm identities, friends and family have identified the woman as Nellie Williams.
On Friday, friends and relatives set up a GoFundMe page to help them "say goodbye" to Williams, who they called a "daughter, sister, auntie" and "mother." The organizer of the fundraiser said she had suffered "a massive stroke" in hospital and was on life support.
Williams and her boyfriend Francois "Fran" Shurie were attacked in the vicinity of Trunk Road, Canada Avenue and Government Street in Duncan just before 11 p.m. on Dec. 24, according to police.
When officers arrived, they found a man and a woman, both of whom were injured. The pair was taken to hospital, where the man died from his injuries, police said.
The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit is investigating the incident, which they have referred to as an assault and a homicide. They have not said what types of injuries the victims sustained or whether a weapon was used. They have also not indicated whether anyone has been arrested or charged.
On Sunday, the VIIMCU provided an update on the case, saying they are now treating the incident as a double homicide.
While no one is in custody, police said they have identified two persons of interest in the case, both of them men.
Investigators are still gathering evidence and are pursuing several leads, police said, reiterating their call for people who were in the area between 10:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve to call the VIIMCU information line at 250-380-6211.
