Tragic Incident Claims Lives of Two Boys and Their Father

Ottawa police report they are looking into a murder-suicide that resulted in the deaths of two young boys and their father.

According to a news release, Ottawa police stated that officers performing a wellness check at around 10 a. m. on Monday discovered the bodies of two boys, aged 7 and 12, inside a residence on Mandevilla Crescent in the Findlay Creek neighborhood of south Ottawa.

The police mentioned they are still managing the situation with the family and will not be disclosing any names at this time.

The father’s body was located inside a vehicle that had been reported on fire earlier that morning at a carpool lot north of Kemptville, Ont., approximately 55 kilometers south of Ottawa.

Supt. Jamie Dunlop shared during a press conference outside Ottawa Police Service headquarters on Monday afternoon that the man was divorced from the children’s mother, who will be interviewed.

A person other than the boys’ mother requested police conduct a wellness check after no one responded at their home in Findlay Creek, Dunlop explained.

“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 additional children “associated” with the family; however, Dunlop assured that police are “confident that they’re all in good care at the moment.”

A 3rd scene

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were present both at the carpool location as well as at another fire scene in a commercial plaza on County Road 2 in Iroquois, Ont., roughly 80 kilometers south of Ottawa.

This fire was reported around 2 a. m., and OPP confirmed there were no injuries.

Images and videos from the site show significant damage to one end unit of a commercial building with residential apartments above it, including debris from broken masonry. Police tape surrounds this damaged area.

A business in Iroquois, Ont., was damaged by fire Monday. Police believe that scene is connected to the murder-suicide. (Arthur White-Crummey/CBC)

J. G. Menard lives nearby and recounted being startled awake by a loud bang.

“It was just a big explosion,” he said.

Both locations-the carpool site and building scene-are thought to be linked to an investigation which Ottawa police describe as “ongoing and complex.”

On Mandevilla Crescent where authorities found the boys’ bodies, local resident Desire Omofoma mentioned he got home from work only to encounter heavy police activity and soon learned what had happened.

“It didn’t feel real, you know, to be so close to home,” he said.

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