Manitoba RCMP is set to give an update on a string of suspicious deaths reported over the weekend.
Mounties are holding a news conference at 2 p.m. from RCMP headquarters. CTV News Winnipeg will live-stream the proceedings.
Officers are set to provide more information about their investigation into the five suspicious deaths in southwestern Manitoba – three children and two women.
Preliminary reports from police said the investigation began at around 7:30 a.m. on Sunday when officers responded to a report of a hit-and-run on Highway 3 near the southwest Manitoba town.
Mounties arrived to find a woman’s body in a nearby ditch. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The incident continued later that morning, when RCMP were called to a vehicle on fire on Highway 248 in the R.M. of Cartier, Man. While officers were on the way, a witness pulled three young children from the burning car.
All three children were declared dead at the scene.
The suspect was taken into custody at the scene of the car fire.
A yard in Carman, Man. is cordoned off by police tape on Feb. 12, 2024. (Source: Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg)
Officers continued to investigate, which led them to a home in Carman, where they found the body of another woman.
The suspect, who is a 29-year-old man, is in custody, and there is no risk to the public. No charges have been laid.
Police say the suspect and victims were all known to each other. All five deaths are considered suspicious. RCMP did not release the identities of the suspect or the victim.
They say all three of these incidents are linked.
‘It’s just devastating’
Carman Mayor Brent Owen says the community is devastated by the weekend’s tragic events.
“It was terrible news. I can’t imagine how something like this could happen in our small community,” Owen told CTV News Winnipeg in an interview Monday.
The mayor says nothing like this has ever happened in the small town before, and folks are coming together to support one another.
“It’s just devastating. As a parent, it’s unimaginable,” Owen said.
“We are a small community, and we’re a very proud community. We’ll rally. We’ll get through this. Hopefully, there’s lots of support for everyone involved.”
This is a developing story. More details to come.
Carman Mayor Brent Owen is pictured during a Feb. 12, 2024 interview with CTV News Winnipeg.
– With files from CTV’s Kayla Rosen and Joseph Bernacki
