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Ottawa police say they are investigating a murder-suicide that has left two children and their father dead.
In a news release, Ottawa police said officers conducting a wellness check around 10 a.m. Monday found the bodies of two boys, ages 7 and 12, inside a home on Mandevilla Crescent in the south Ottawa neighbourhood of Findlay Creek.
Police said they’re still in the process of dealing with the family and are not releasing any names.
The man’s body was found inside a vehicle that was reported on fire earlier Monday morning at a carpool lot north of Kemptville, Ont., about 55 kilometres south of Ottawa.
The man was divorced from the children’s mother, who will be interviewed, Supt. Jamie Dunlop said during a news conference outside Ottawa Police Service headquarters on Monday afternoon.
A person other than the boys’ mother asked police to perform a wellness check when no one answered the door at the home in Findlay Creek, Dunlop said.
“Obviously it’s a very tragic incident for the families, the friends, neighbours,” he said. “Certainly when children are involved, it’s extra difficult to understand.”
There are other children “associated” with the family, but Dunlop said police are “confident that they’re all in good care at the moment.”
On Monday afternoon, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe took to social media to extend his condolences.
“There are no words to describe this immeasurable loss, my thoughts are with everyone grieving today, especially the family and their close friends,” he wrote in a post.
I’m shocked and heartbroken to learn of the tragic deaths of two children in the south end of our city. There are no words to describe this immeasurable loss, my thoughts are with everyone grieving today, especially the family and their close friends. I encourage everyone who…
A 3rd scene
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were at the carpool scene as well the scene of a fire at a business in a commercial plaza on County Road 2 in Iroquois, Ont., about 80 kilometres south of Ottawa.
The fire was reported at 2 a.m. There were no injuries, OPP said.
Photos and videos from the scene show heavy damage to the end unit of a commercial building with residential units above, including a pile of broken masonry. Police tape surrounds the damaged area.
J.G. Menard lives in the building and said he was woken up by a loud bang.
“It was just a big explosion,” he said.
Both the carpool scene and the building scene are believed to be connected to the investigation, which Ottawa police are calling “ongoing and complex.”
On Mandevilla Crescent, where the boys’ bodies were found, area resident Desire Omofoma said he returned home from work to find the police scene and soon learned what happened.
“It didn’t feel real, you know, to be so close to home,” he said.
