A Coquitlam family shaken by a young woman’s death will have to deal with another loss in what police are calling a murder-suicide.

Tearful neighbours placed flowers at the home of Lisa Wei and her 22-year-old daughter Ivy – both found dead in the space of 12 hours, leaving behind a grieving husband and a six-year-old son, neighbours said.

“She was a beautiful girl, and she loved the lord too. I know she is in heaven,” said one neighbor, who gave her name as Elda.

Emergency crews responded to a 911 call of a woman in distress to the Coquitlam townhouse on Eagleridge Drive. They arrived to find Wei’s husband pacing outside the home, witnesses said.

Paramedics found the 22-year-old dead inside the home, and police suspected foul play.

Officers identified a female suspect who was known to the victim but had fled before they got there. She was missing for about 12 hours before police found her car in Buntzen Lake Saturday morning at about 6 a.m., and recovered her body from the water.

“While evidence gathered suggests this to be a tragic case of murder-suicide, there remains much work to be done,” said Staff Sgt. Jennifer Pound of the RCMP’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.

The six-year-old was left with neighbours, who described Wei as a “fantastic mother and friend.”

“Clearly something went wrong. Lisa is a good mother and a wonderful person,” said one neighbor, who gave her name as Yvette. As for Ivy, Yvette said, “She was so sweet. My boys adored her. They said she made the best smoothies.”

She said the six-year-old stayed with her briefly before going back to his dad.

Everyone in the family is a devout Christian, who shared time at Bible study and church with other members of the tight-knit complex. Ivy was a makeup artist who was exploring courses at Douglas College.

Wei told one neighbour, Elda, she was seeing a psychologist for stress.

“She was sick. There is no excuse. She is sick. She didn’t have the help in time,” Elda said.

The whole incident is a tragic shock to the community.

“They seemed like a normal, happy family,” said one neighbor, Angela Dumont.

An investigation is ongoing.