A 58-year-old woman is dead after being stabbed in downtown Winnipeg, police say.

Helen Annie Spence was near one of the front entrances of Portage Place, in the 300 block of Portage Avenue, on Tuesday when she was stabbed, Winnipeg police say. They say they received a report of the stabbing around 2:45 p.m., but the suspect fled before officers arrived.

Get breaking National news

Police confirmed to Global News that the suspect and Spence knew one another.

Spence, a member of the Grand Rapids First Nation who was residing in Winnipeg, was taken to hospital in critical condition with “severe, life-threatening injuries,” according to a news release from the Winnipeg Police Service.

She later died of her injuries in hospital, police add.

Winnipeg police’s homicide unit identified a 23-year-old woman as the suspect. She was arrested early Wednesday morning and is being charged with second-degree murder, police said.

The woman will remain in custody, according to the release.