Funeral for slain St. Catharines boy set for Friday
43-year-old Justin Kuijer arrested Tuesday in northwestern Ontario
A funeral will be held Friday for seven-year-old Nathan Dumas, a St. Catharines, Ont., boy who police say was killed by his own stepfather.
The funeral will take place exactly a week before what would have been Nathan's eighth birthday and a week to the day since police allege he was fatally injured by his stepfather.
Niagara regional police allege 43-year-old Justin Kuijer attacked the boy on Friday morning, causing undisclosed injuries that led to his death in hospital the next day.
They allege Kuijer also stabbed an employee of a local RBC branch moments after the attack on Nathan, sending her to hospital.
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Kuijer was arrested Tuesday in Kenora, Ont., after a tip from the public, police said.
Police had been searching for Kuijer since the weekend and there was a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest.
He is expected to be charged with second-degree murder and attempted murder.
An obituary for Nathan makes no mention of how he died, but focuses instead on his family's memories of him.
"Nathan was truly a kind, loving boy with a big heart, full of compassion for everyone and everything. He was always quick to help anyone who may have been in need," the obituary reads.
'Polite young gentleman'
"As the polite young gentleman he was, he never missed an opportunity to open a door, give a gift or come to the defence of a good friend. Nathan truly felt the joy of giving, never looking for anything in return. There are no words to express the unbearable heartbreak we feel in his loss."
Nathan is survived by his mother and younger siblings, the obituary states, adding that his little brother looked up to him as a "best buddy" while his baby sister will be told growing up "what an amazing big brother she had."
The obituary said he is also mourned by his grandparents, aunts and uncles, and Grade 2 classmates at Harriet Tubman Elementary School in St. Catharines.
Visitations will take place on Thursday night and Friday afternoon at the Pleasantview Funeral Home in Thorold, Ont., with a celebration of life service to take place following the Friday afternoon visitation.