British Columbia

Murder charge approved in death of 22-year-old mother of two in Prince George

A man accused of killing a Prince George woman has been charged with first degree murder, RCMP say.

Zain Wood, 23, charged with 1st degree murder in death of Isabelle Thomas

A woman sits in bleachers holding up two large, round drums.
Isabelle Thomas holds two drums she made in a drum-making class. (Submitted by Leslie Thomas)

A man accused of killing a Prince George woman has been charged with first degree murder, RCMP say.

Twenty-two-year-old Isabelle Thomas was identified by family as the victim of a deadly home invasion on July 18. 

The mother of six-year-old and six-month-old daughters was described as loving, outgoing and "always had a smile on her face," by her mother, Leslie Thomas.

Police say B.C.'s prosecution service has approved one charge of first degree murder against 23-year-old Zain Wood, who is in custody.

The allegation has not been tested in court.

Leslie said her daughter was born and raised in Prince George and worked as a dietary aid at a senior's home, and had plans to buy the townhouse she was killed in.

A woman holds a baby.
Leslie Thomas has taken over raising her six-month-old granddaughter. She is also fundraising to help her other granddaughter, who is six, receive trauma counselling in Vancouver after seeing her mother die. (Andrew Kurjata/CBC)

Thomas said her daughter's children were in the room with her when she died. 

"To have both of her babies with her while that thing was happening to her was just unimaginable and so maddening that they had to be put through that," she said in an interview in July.

She described her daughter as outgoing, loyal and always willing to help a friend out.

Leslie added that Isabelle had many different interests and loved learning new things.

As a member of the Nadleh Whut'en First Nation, Isabelle liked learning about her culture and participated in community activities. She took classes in ribbon skirt making and drum making, her mother said. 

"She really took to everybody."

WATCH | Thomas mourns the death of her daughter: 

22-year-old mother of 2 killed in home invasion

1 year ago
Duration 0:59
Family has identified Isabelle Thomas as the victim of a homicide in Prince George, B.C. Her mother, Leslie Thomas, describes her as a kind and loving woman who had big plans for her life.