A manhunt is underway for a St. Catharines, Canada, man, who may have beat his stepson to death. The incident happened just minutes after the suspect reportedly attacked a bank teller and fled.

Ottawa Citizen reports that Justin Kuijer entered Royal Bank on Martindale Road a little before 10:30 a.m. on Friday morning, and allegedly assaulted a female bank teller with a weapon. He fled the scene in a 2009 Pontiac Montana, licence plate number, BYTE 392. The teller is in stable but serious condition. Police indicated that the attack was personal, and that the suspect knew the victim.

A short time before the bank incident, Whitney Dumas, Kuijer’s wife, walked into her home off of on Queenston Street, and found Kuijer packing his bags. Dumas said she pleaded for him to stay for the children.

“I said to him, ‘Well let’s go inside and talk about arrangements for our kids. We have three kids. He asked for my keys to my van so he could go get a coffee. That’s when I went into the house and found my son.”

Kuijer fled, ignoring Dumas’ plea, and that’s when she found her 7-year-old son, Nathan, critically injured after being attacked. The boy was in Kuijer’s care when the attack occurred.

Nathan was rushed to St. Catharines hospital, but passed away on Saturday morning. His cause of death hasn’t been released yet, and police aren’t commenting on the incident, but they did confirm that Nathan was Kuijer’s stepson.

According to Dumas, there wasn’t any reason for anyone to hurt Nathan, who she described as an “old soul,” unless the suspect was looking for a way to hurt her.

“He was the kindest little boy you’d ever meet. Everybody loved him. He was an old soul.” 

Kuijer is a white male with a trimmed beard and long brown hair. He has a trimmed beard and was least wearing an orange hoodie, dark pants, and a brown leather jacket. Do not approach Kuijer, as he’s considered extremely dangerous. Anyone with any information on his whereabouts should call 911 immediately.

[Feature Photo: Family Handout]