Stabbed woman lay wounded for hours before being found in Lake Echo home

A woman lay seriously injured suffering from stab wounds in a Lake Echo home for 18 hours on the weekend before another woman found her and called 911 for help.

“The level of her injuries was so serious that she wasn’t able to call for help before the woman went to check on her,” RCMP spokesman Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay said Monday.

The victim was stabbed Friday evening but wasn’t found until a friend went looking for her at the Bumpy Lane residence at 2 p.m. on Saturday. She was rushed to hospital by ambulance with life-threatening injuries.

Tremblay said the stabbing happened at about 8 p.m.

Police issued a news release about the incident over the noon hour Sunday, and a suspect showed up at Halifax Regional Police headquarters in Halifax at about 2:45 p.m. that day. Investigators had not named a suspect at that point but said the stabbing was not believed to be a random incident.

Tremblay said he didn’t know whether the release led to the man turning himself in.

On Monday, police said the suspect is known to the victim. 

Oscar Allison Purdy, 57, has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, uttering threats, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and possession of a weapon contrary to a court order.

He appeared briefly in Dartmouth provincial court Monday morning for arraignment. He will remain in custody pending his next court appearance Dec. 19.

Tremblay said anyone with information on the case is asked to contact police.