A man has been charged with second-degree murder after a woman died at a home in B.C.’s Fraser Valley last week, according to authorities. Officers with the Chilliwack RCMP were called to a residence on the 46000 block of Mellard Avenue on Friday, Nov. 6, around 8 p.m., the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said. “Upon arrival, officers located a woman, who was pronounced deceased at the scene,” said a statement from IHIT Monday. “Investigators believe the accused and victim were known to each other and that this was not a random incident.” The victim was 52. Kristopher John Hayward, 55, was charged within 24 hours of the initial police deployment, IHIT noted. “We are saddened by this tragedy,” spokesperson Sgt. Freda Fong said, in the statement. “While charges have now been laid, there is still much work to be done as we continue to support the victim’s grieving family and move forward with the prosecution process.” Police did not provide any information about how the woman died. Authorities also did not provide any information about how Hayward and the victim knew one another, but the court file is a “K” file which is a designation the B.C. Prosecution Service uses in cases of alleged intimate partner violence. Hayward remains in custody and is next due in court Tuesday.
