“Just leave the boy alone”: Family Mourns Burn Victim’s death

The family of 61-year-old Dawn Bernard is struggling to come to terms with her tragic death, whose sudden passing has left them in shock.

Her cousin, Suzette Marsden, who lived right next door, spoke emotionally about the woman she says was more like a sister than a relative.

“I used to always tell my cousin… just leave the boy alone. Move on with your life. Life goes on,” Marsden said. “Don’t feel like because your man left you, you can’t find a next man. You don’t need any.”

She said the shock across the family has been overwhelming. “Everybody just left in a shock… nobody expect that,” she added. “I used to always hear that she and the boy broke up. But obviously it wasn’t anything like that. They never did break up.”

As the family mourns, police say the investigation into the Lakeview Street domestic violence case is still ongoing, and charges may soon be upgraded to murder.

Bernard died on November 17, one week after officers found her with severe burns along Lakeview Street on the night of November 10. Patrol officers reported seeing her walk out of a yard with major injuries before rushing her to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where she was placed in an induced coma.

Her common-law husband, 35-year-old Frederick Wagner, was arrested shortly after the incident and initially charged with attempted murder and use of deadly means of harm. Police say those charges were based on statements Bernard made before she lost consciousness.

Police also confirmed that Bernard had filed one previous report against Wagner in 2018. No further complaints were made after that year.

A post-mortem examination is pending. If results confirm that her death was caused by the injuries she sustained, police say Wagner’s charges will be upgraded.