A 37-year-old man has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of two children found in Calgary’s northwest on Thursday morning.
Upon police arrival just after 10 a.m. on April 30, the two children were found dead inside a vehicle at the 4500 block along 14 Street NW. The now-charged man was taken into custody at the scene, and the CPS’s Homicide Unit began investigating due to the incident’s suspicious nature.
The man, who has been identified as the father of the five-year-old boy and the three-year-old girl, has remained in police custody while awaiting his scheduled court appearance on Monday, May 4, according to the Calgary Police Service (CPS).
“This is a devastating and unimaginable loss. Our hearts are with the victims’ loved ones, and with the officers and first responders who both attended the scene and who are seeing through the investigation,” said Staff Sgt. Mark Rahn of the CPS’s Homicide Unit.
“These are extraordinarily difficult investigations, both professionally and personally, and we are committed to getting justice for these victims.”
Parents had a history of domestic violence, says CPS
During a media availability on Friday afternoon, Staff Sgt. Rahn said that the parents — who had been in a six-year common law relationship but had recently been separated for less than a year — had a history of domestic violence.
Rahn said this included a handful of instances in which the police were called to the home, but that the children were never involved in the violence.
Before the incident, Rahn said the parents had a shared custody agreement. Because of this, the father was permitted to pick up the children at around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29.
At that point, Rahn said that there were no indications of “anything untoward.” The incident is estimated to have happened at around midnight that same evening.
Rahn confirmed that the father made the 911 call to CPS on Thursday morning. When police arrived and took him into custody, Rahn said the man later confessed in a statement, and that the accused has remained complacent throughout the entire process.
CPS said that the autopsies are currently ongoing.
Anyone affected by the incident is recommended to contact the CPS’s Victim Assistance Support Team (VAST), which offers free services to victims and witnesses of both crime and tragedy. The service is accessible online via VAST’s website.
