Winnipeg man charged with murder in stabbing of 3-year-old daughter
Frank Nausigimana, 28, allegedly abducted the girl from her mother at knifepoint before the stabbing
A Winnipeg man has been charged with first-degree murder after allegedly abducting his three-year-old daughter and stabbing her to death Wednesday morning.
Police have charged Frank Nausigimana, 28, with first-degree murder. He is in custody.
In a news release Thursday, Winnipeg police said it was believed that the estranged father abducted his daughter from her mother at knifepoint in her car in the Robertson neighbourhood before 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Soon after, officers received a tip and found the man and a vehicle in the area of Jefferson Avenue and King Edward Street.
WATCH | Details of man charged with murder:
Police said they found the girl inside, suffering from stab wounds. She was rushed to hospital in critical condition and pronounced dead.
"I can't imagine the grief and the pain [family members] are experiencing," Const. Jay Murray said at a Thursday news conference. "It's unbelievably horrific."
Murray said emergency personnel provided first aid and did everything they could, and that staff involved were shaken by the experience.
No time for Amber Alert
According to Murray, it was a matter of minutes from the time the initial call came in to when police believe the child was fatally injured.
"All this unfolded in an incredibly tight timeframe," he said, suggesting there was no time to issue an Amber Alert.
The mother and father split up soon after their daughter's birth, Murray said, and there hadn't been contact between them in recent months.
WATCH | Jay Murray on number of young homicide victims in Winnipeg:
Murray declined to provide details when asked if there was a no-contact order in place against the man.
Asked about the broader context of homicides involving young children in Winnipeg in recent years, Murray said there had been several separate homicides of young children in the last year alone, with the deaths of two three-month-olds and a two and a half year old.
In October 2019, he said a three-year-old was stabbed and died in hospital the following month.
"That's another incident a lot of people are going to draw some comparisons with."
