Police apprehend wanted Gabriola Island man after woman slain police, extensive, following, arrested

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Police apprehend wanted Gabriola Island man after woman slain



Police have arrested a man accused of murder following an extensive manhunt which left Gabriola Island on lockdown.

Gabriola Island resident Jason Daniel Cramer, 37, was picked up by police on Thursday morning, a day after he allegedly stabbed and killed a 50-year-old woman, and left her teenage son clinging to life with stab wounds, said police spokesman Const. Gary O'Brien.

During the search, the small, southern Gulf Island went into "lockdown," forcing the temporary closure of the ferry terminal and vehicle searches of all island ferry traffic.

Elaine Schwarz, 50, and her 18-year-old son Trevor Schwarz, were stabbed at a residential property in the 1200-block of Harrison Way, O'Brien confirmed on Thursday at around noon.

Details about the events that led to the attacks haven't been disclosed by police, but they did say the woman's body was found in a different building than her injured son.

The woman died at the scene, and her son was flown Victoria General Hospital with life threatening injuries. His condition has since been upgraded to stable.

RCMP would not confirm if the victims lived at the Harrison Way residence, but an employee at the local Skol Pub said the victims lived at that property.

Nanaimo RCMP issued a marine broadcast Wednesday night saying that an armed and dangerous man on the westside of Gabriola Island was wanted for serious assault, said a spokesman with the Victoria Rescue Co-ordination Centre.

During the manhunt, police advised residents to stay inside and secure their homes. Police also asked them to keep pets inside to avoid interfering with tracking of the suspect's trail.

Police dogs were able to locate several tracks from where the suspect was seen running into bushes.

Many of the properties in the area have small cabins as well as a main residence.

There were several helicopters combing the island over night, said island resident Liz Lutz, who runs a Bed and Breakfast on Coats Drive, which is removed from the "core" area of the island.

"We're not used to this," she said, adding that Gabriola is the kind of place where pottery stalls and fruit and vegetable stands operate on the "honour system."

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"It's a community where people respect one another," she added.

By early Thursday morning, ferry service to and from the island continued, said BC Ferries spokesman Darin Guenette.

There were slight delays Wednesday night while police inspected several vehicles arriving in Nanaimo from Gabriola, he said, adding that police then transferred over to the island where they continued to search vehicles leaving Gabriola.

Cramer was located in the vicinity of the original incident by members of the Vancouver Island Emergency Response Team, O'Brien said, adding that the accused will remain in custody while he gets processed through the courts Friday.


RCMP take Jason Daniel Cramer into custody on Gabriola Island Thursday morning. A woman was killed and her son injured in an incident Wednesday night


Elaine Schwarz (shown here), 50, and her 18-year-old son Trevor Schwarz, were stabbed at a Gabriola Island residential property. Elaine died at the scene, and her son was flown Victoria General Hospital with life-threatening injuries. His condition has since been upgraded to stable. Police have arrested Gabriola Island resident Jason Daniel Cramer, 37.



Elaine Schwarz, 50, and her 18-year-old son Trevor Schwarz (shown here), were stabbed at a Gabriola Island residential property. Elaine died at the scene, and her son was flown Victoria General Hospital with life-threatening injuries. His condition has since been upgraded to stable. Police have arrested Gabriola Island resident Jason Daniel Cramer, 37.



RCMP take Jason Daniel Cramer into custodye on Gabriola Island Thursday morning. A woman was killed and her son injured in an incident Wednesday night.



RCMP take Jason Daniel Cramer into custodye on Gabriola Island Thursday morning. A woman was killed and her son injured in an incident Wednesday night.



Ferry service to Gabriola Island was stopped late Wednesday after a woman was killed and her son injured in a vicious attack