Two Boys Found Dead in Ottawa Home, Father's Body Discovered 45km Away

Ottawa police are investigating a murder-suicide after two boys, aged 7 and 12, were found dead in Findlay Creek. Their father was found dead in a vehicle fire in Kemptville.

Two boys dead in Ottawa murder-suicide, father found in vehicle fire

Ca.news.yahoo.com reports that Ottawa police are investigating a murder-suicide after two young boys were found dead inside a home in the Findlay Creek neighbourhood, while their father was discovered deceased roughly 45 kilometres away in Kemptville.

Officers were called to a residence on Mandevilla Crescent in south Ottawa at approximately 10 a.m. Monday following a wellness check request from a third party — not the children's mother — after no one answered the door. Inside, police found two boys, aged seven and 12, deceased.

"From the evidence found within the house, it was clear to say it was homicide," Ottawa Police Supt. Jamie Dunlop told a press conference.

The boys' names have not been released while next of kin are being notified. The children had been living with their father at the Mandevilla Crescent home. Their parents were divorced, Dunlop confirmed.

The father was found dead at the Highway 416 and Rideau River Road carpool lot in Kemptville, where a vehicle fire had been reported shortly after 5:30 a.m. — several hours before the wellness check at the family home. By late Monday afternoon, investigators had removed a grey, burnt-out SUV from the isolated lot on a flatbed truck. The windshield on the driver's side was coated in what appeared to be fire retardant, and a used red fire extinguisher had been left standing nearby.

Dunlop confirmed the father had some prior contact with police, though limited. "No, the father did not have great contacts with the police, as many people do, there were certainly some dealings, but not typically when we say known to the police what that entails," he said.

Police said they have been in contact with the children's mother. Dunlop noted there are other children in the family, all of whom are safe and not believed to be at risk.

The investigation extends to a third location. The Ontario Provincial Police are holding a scene in the community of Iroquois, Ontario — approximately 45 kilometres southeast of Kemptville — where a business fire broke out at a dental practice called Road 2 Dentistry on County Road 2. Police, firefighters and Enbridge personnel remained at the scene Monday evening. Windows appeared to have been blown out by a significant blast, and bricks were piled in front of the building's entrance.

Police have not yet been able to confirm the chronology of events across the three locations, saying the investigation remains in its early stages.

Residents near Mandevilla Crescent described shock at the news. Desire Omofomo, who has lived on the street for about two years, returned home from work to find police cars throughout the neighbourhood. "It didn't feel real to be so close to home," he said. "It's confusing and saddening."

Neighbour Jamie Kingsbury described the Findlay Creek area as a generally safe, fast-growing community. "It hit home because I've got my own kids," he said. "It's heartbreaking."

Ottawa's homicide unit is working alongside the OPP to determine the connections between the deaths, the vehicle fire and the business fire. Police stated the investigation is "ongoing and complex" and said they do not believe there is any ongoing threat to the public.

Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)