A 45-year-old woman is dead and her 24-year-old son in police custody after a stabbing in Burnaby, B.C., Monday evening.

Police say it happened at about 6:30 p.m. PT in the 6700 block of Elwell Street, in the Middlegate neighbourhood.

The victim was found in the middle of the street, about a block away from her home.

"It appeared there was a stabbing of a female victim," said RCMP Sgt. Peter Thiessen. "That female victim was immediately transferred to a local area hospital where she has since died as a result of her injuries. We are now dealing with a homicide."

Thiessen said it appears the woman ran into the street and past several homes before she collapsed on the side of the road. He said the attack was witnessed by many people in the neighbourhood.

"[There are] some very shocked neighbours that are, unfortunately, now dealing with the trauma that comes from that," Thiessen said.

He said the incident appears to have been sparked by a domestic dispute.

Police have not released the victim's identity, nor have they indicated what — if any — charges the son could be facing. But police did say they had made calls to the home in the past.

The family's landlord described the victim as a "very nice lady" who lived there with two grown sons and a daughter with children of her own.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has taken over the case.