A nurse from Kerala was struck by a vehicle before being stabbed multiple times by her husband outside a hospital in Florida in the US on Tuesday.

The victim, identified as Merin Joy (28), hailed from Monippally in Kottayam district and was working as a nurse at the Broward Health Coral Springs in Florida. She was married to Philip Mathew (34), with whom she had a two-year-old daughter named Nora. Merin had left Nora with her parents in Kerala when she visited the country in December 2019. According to a close relative of Merin and Philip, the couple had had marital issues since the beginning, but things had worsened after the birth of their child. "It was an arranged marriage, Philip was also in the US. The family had arrived here last December. Merin was not allowed to visit her parents and finally her father went to bring her home, he said. Philip left for US alone and Merin left on January 29 after leaving her child with her parents," the relative named James reportedly said.

As Merin was leaving Coral Springs, she was attacked from the behind by Philip Mathew who stabbed her multiple times and ran over her with a car, based on the statement of the witnesses. He apparently fled the scene and was located by the police in a few hours when they traced his location based on the descriptions of his car provided by the witnesses. He apparently had a self-inflicted injury and was rushed to a hospital immediately. Merin was admitted to a hospital as well, but she succumbed to her injuries soon after.

Coral Springs Police reportedly mentioned in a statement, "The incident is believed to be part of a domestic dispute that was ongoing between the suspect and the victim. Mathew was located in Coral Springs at an area hotel where he sustained a self-inflicted knife wound and was transported to an area hospital for treatment. He was taken into custody within a few hours of the initial 911 call and is being charged with First Degree Murder. Currently, there is no additional threat to the area residents or patients of Broward Health Coral Springs."

Furthermore, Jared Smith, the CEO of Broward Health Coral Springs where Merin had worked two years, mentioned in a statement, "We are heartbroken over the loss of Merin. She was part of our family, and there are no words to describe our emotions. We offer our most sincere condolences to her family."