UPDATE: 11:17 a.m.
Kelowna Mounties say they've now made an arrest in a Saturday afternoon home invasion and stabbing.
The violent assault happened just after 1 p.m. at a home in the Kelglen Crescent area of Kelowna, and an arrest was made shortly after 3 p.m. the same day, police said.
The suspect, Morgan Marie Smith, 24, has been charged with aggravated assault and remains in custody. Smith is scheduled to appear in Kelowna Court on Sept. 10, at 9:30 a.m.
“The victim and her family are receiving the necessary support services as she recovers from her injuries,” Cpl. Michael Gauthier said in a press release.
“We applaud both our officers and medical personnel for their life-saving work. Our investigators continue to work tirelessly to prepare the necessary information for court tomorrow.”
ORIGINAL: 10:10 a.m.
A Kelowna family is struggling to come to terms with a Saturday afternoon attack that left one of their own seriously injured.
Albert Batandolo said he was in the Kelglen Crescent home he shares with his family when he heard his sister-in-law, Tanya Gonvalen, screaming from the kitchen.
She was bleeding profusely, from what they say were multiple stab wounds.
In a matter of moments, Batandolo said the woman's husband was outside trying to chase down the person who had entered the house through the backdoor. The assailant was a woman, he said, wearing a hoodie and wielding a knife — a complete stranger.
"The door was left open, and she got in easily," Batandolo said.
Gonvalen is now at at Kelowna General Hospital healing from five stab wounds. One in her right shoulder, another in her left arm and two in her chest.
"One of the stab wounds punctured a lung,” she said, adding that a chest tube is draining the blood from her lungs.
She doesn't remember much after the attack, other than the blood coursing down her body as she ran and the pain setting in. After the attack, she awoke in the hospital but the memory of the assault will carry on.
When she closes her eyes and tries to sleep, she is overwhelmed by the image of the woman coming toward her.
Batandolo's wife, who also lives in the home, feels the same way.
“She won’t even go to the washroom at night, she wakes me up to go with her,” he said.
While Batandolo has been told by neighbours that they have never experienced anything like this in the area they don’t think they’ll be able to stay there much longer.
If nothing else, he said, they know they want others to know to “always lock the door, always check security.”
RCMP have yet to confirm the incident though they said they are working on a press release relating to reports that have been circulating on social media. The story will be updated when RCMP make a statement.
