Woman and child fall to their deaths from North Vancouver balcony, homicide team called in

Homicide investigators have been called in after a woman and child fell to their deaths from an apartment building balcony in North Vancouver early Tuesday morning.

The North Vancouver RCMP says officers were called to an apartment complex the 100 block of East Esplanade Avenue in the Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood at 4:30 a.m., after reports that two people had fallen off a balcony.

"Officers arrived and located two females suffering from injuries sustained from the fall,” Mounties wrote in a news release.

Firefighters and paramedics performed life-saving measures on the pair, but they were later pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has taken over the case and will work with the North Vancouver RCMP, the Integrated Forensic Identification Section and the BC Coroners Service to investigate the tragic incident.

In its own statement, IHIT confirmed the deceased were an adult woman and a school-aged child.

“Police believe the two were known to one another and are not looking for any other suspects at this time,” said Cpl. Esther Tupper in the statement. “There is no ongoing risk to the public and this is an isolated incident.”

“Anyone affected by today’s tragedy who wishes to speak to the North Vancouver RCMP’s victim services can do so by calling 604-969-7540,” the release reads.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call homicide investigators at 1-877-551-4448 or email [e-mail].