Matthew Hutchinson, North Vancouver hockey player, found dead in N.Y. state
North Vancouver's Matthew Hutchinson — a volunteer firefighter and hockey player — is one of three people who has died at a residence in Geneseo, N.Y., according to local police.
The 24-year-old was a student at the State University of New York in Geneseo. The other victims were:
- Kelsey Annese, 21, a member of the women's basketball team at SUNY Geneseo from Webster, N.Y.
- Colin Kingston, 24, a former student from Geneseo.
At 6 a.m. ET on Sunday the Geneseo Police Department arrived at a residence at 18 Wadsworth Street and discovered three bodies following a 911 call made by a member of one of the victims' families.
"No firearm was used. A knife was recovered at the scene," said Jeffrey Szczesniak, the public information officer for the Geneseo Police Department at a news conference, adding that police believe the deaths are an isolated incident.
He did not say if, or how, the three victims knew each other.
"Of the three bodies found, one may be a perpetrator," he said.
It remains unclear what happened inside the home. Officials are expected to give an update on the case on Monday.
Hockey player and firefighter
Hutchinson, 24, was a member of the school's hockey team and a geography major and business studies minor. He was also a member of the Geneseo volunteer fire department.
On the Geneseo Knights' website, the biography for Hutchinson says he was born in North Vancouver, B.C., to Keith and Susan Hutchinson and has one sister, Katelynn. He played for the Chilliwack Chiefs before starting school in the U.S. in 2012.
He spent the summer of 2015 fighting wildfires with the BC Wildfire Service. In 2012 he won a gold medal with Team Canada at the IIHF Inline Hockey World Championships.
"Certainly, Matt left an impression on everybody," said Andrew Chanler, chief of the Geneseo Fire Department. "It's absolutely devastating news to me and the department."
Chanler said he found out about the deaths from Geneseo's chief of police who told him that Hutchinson "had been killed."
The fire chief says Hutchinson did not live at the residence where he was found and was in "the wrong place at the wrong time."
"I did not want to believe that it could have been him," he said over the phone to CBC News, adding that Hutchinson was a role model to his twin 10-year-old sons, who both play hockey.
"[He was] someone who truly put others before him."
In the Knights' biography, Hutchinson attributed his success in sports to support from his family. He said the best advice he ever received was, "never quit, because quitting ensures failure."
On social media, his friends marked his death with condolences:
Geneseo police said multiple agencies are investigating the deaths but have yet to determine a cause. Another briefing will take place Monday at 2 p.m. ET.
