Story:

A man believed to have viciously attacked his ex-girlfriend at a Columbia Street hotel Saturday night was found dead in Peterson Creek Park hours later.

The woman was treated in Royal Inland Hospital before being flown by air ambulance to a Vancouver hospital with critical injuries, Const. Bernie Ward said Sunday.

Ward would not confirm the nature of her injuries, but she was attacked with some kind of weapon, he said.

“Her injuries are very, very serious,” said Ward.

Police were called to the Knights Inn at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday when a woman in one of the rooms was assaulted. An employee at the hotel said the room was rented to a man, who brought the woman back with him that evening.

Investigators learned a man with blood on him fled the hotel in a car before police arrived. Ward said a citywide search began, with officers visiting places the suspect was known to frequent.

The search came to an end at about 8:20 a.m. Sunday when a person out for a walk in Peterson Creek stumbled across a body beneath the bridge.

Investigators spent the bulk of the day Sunday at both locations. Sections of the park were cordoned off with police tape.

A lane of traffic was closed on Peterson Creek Bridge for a time. A car believed to belong to the deceased was parked in the lane. The vehicle was eventually towed.

“We did have a vehicle up there. We do believe it has something to do with the suspect. We’re waiting to be able to examine it and go through it,” said Ward.

An investigation is ongoing. The deceased has not been identified pending notification of next of kin.

Anyone with information is asked to phone Kamloops RCMP at 250-828-3000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.