(WINNIPEG) Daily life was turned upside down in a small Manitoba municipality on Sunday when the bodies of five people, including three children, were found dead in three different locations. A 29-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with the incidents.
During a hastily called press conference at the end of the day, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Major Crimes Unit Inspector Tim Arsenault was looking over the details. However, he disclosed that the first information gathered led the police to believe that the suspect knew all five victims.
“On behalf of the RCMP, I would like to express my condolences to the families and friends who have lost a loved one today. As a parent, I cannot begin to imagine the enormity of your loss,” Inspector Arsenault said at the start of his press conference.
The exact relationship between the suspect and the five victims is unknown. RCMP have not specified what charges the 29-year-old man who was arrested is facing.
Admitting that “many questions remain unanswered”, Inspector Arsenault explained how the day had gone for the police officers.
First, around 7:30 a.m. local time, authorities found the lifeless body of a woman in a ditch off Highway 3 in the municipality of Carman, 85 kilometers southwest of Winnipeg.
Later, around 10 a.m., police were called to Cartier, another municipality about 70 kilometers north of Garman, where a vehicle was engulfed in flames.
“While police were on the scene, a witness was able to remove three young children from the burning vehicle. Sadly, all three children were pronounced dead at the scene,” Inspector Arsenault said.
That's where the suspect was arrested.
Later, as the investigation continued, police returned to Carman, where they found the body of another woman in an apartment.
Inspector Arsenault did not provide the ages of the victims. However, he said that the person who is currently arrested is the suspect in the case.
“There is no more danger. We are sure that the person we have arrested is the only suspect,” he confirmed.
“Inconceivable”
According to the inspector, it is still too early to comment on the precise role of the suspect in the incidents.
“We have several investigative teams at the moment trying to understand what happened and why,” he said.
Carman Mayor Brent Owen said he was heartbroken to hear the news. Although he knew 80% of the residents of the town of about 3,000 souls, he did not personally know those who lost their lives.
Although he became aware of what was happening when contacted by text from a member of the community, Mr Owen did not realize the extent of the situation until he was informed by the police.
“This is terrible. We are talking about five people, including three children, from our community. It is unimaginable,” he lamented, adding his own condolences to the relatives of the victims.
Manitoba Premier Wap Kinu also expressed his condolences to those affected by the tragedy in a post on social networking site X.
“I send comfort and strength to the families of the victims and the entire Carmen community during this difficult time,” he wrote.
The investigation continues, involving multiple units of the RCMP, but is complicated by the distance between the different scenes.
It is expected that the police will release more information regarding this in the coming days.
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