1-year-old only survivor, shaken officers say
May 29, 2008 04:30 AM
Shaken police officers could barely speak about what they found inside a home in an upscale Calgary neighbourhood yesterday morning.
Inside were five bodies – three adults and two children, aged 4 and 6. A one-year-old girl, found unscathed, was the only survivor.
Calgary Police Chief Rick Hanson said the victims were a mother, a father and their two daughters. The third adult female was a tenant.
Hanson said they were victims of apparent "domestic homicide."
The baby was removed from the house and later taken by family and social services.
The bodies were found in the Dalhousie neighbourhood of Calgary on what was considered a family-friendly street.
A couple who knew the family arrived to check on them in the morning. They then called 911.
Inspector Frank Reuser, who had carried the 1-year-old survivor from the scene, could barely speak as he choked back tears.
"Most of you have children," he said. "What impact does it have on you? Think about what impact it has on you and you know very well what impact it has on us."
The police officers who were the first on the scene were so upset they sought counselling almost immediately.
Reuser said the baby girl was "doing a lot better than me" and the deaths of the five people inside were not natural.
"They were just an average neighbourhood couple with three kids," neighbour Dennis Beliveau said yesterday morning. "There were cops all over the place, more than I've ever seen."
Police issued a public plea yesterday afternoon asking the media not to contact family members because next-of-kin had not been notified.
The baby "was luckily uninjured and is doing very well," said Emergency Medical Services spokesperson Paul Lapointe.
When the first of two paramedics arrived on the scene, one looked after the baby while the second rushed into the house. But Lapointe said it became clear that there was nothing the paramedic could do for the victims inside.
"They are trained, but it was very traumatic," he said. "Our first concern is looking after the girl. When there are children at all, it's always a difficult situation."
Another neighbour, Mia Albino, said the family had lived there for at least three years. She had seen the children and the parents at the nearby community centre.
"There were two adults and three kids," she said yesterday to reporters. "Everything was fine."
Albino said she often saw the mom walking the kids to school.
Hanson said during a press conference in the early evening that police had obtained a warrant in the afternoon, hours after the discovery of the bodies, and were beginning their investigation.
He said that police have checked their records and he was unable to locate any information that officers had responded to calls or concerns about domestic problems at the house.
"The preliminary indication is this is a domestic homicide. We are looking at any other options," he said. "We're not looking for any suspects and there is no risk to the community."
Residents stood on lawns and watched as an array of police vehicles, media trucks and a circling helicopter overhead turned their tree-lined northwest Calgary neighbourhood into front-page news.
"This is a perfect place to grow up – peaceful," said Graham Hiebert, 20. "We've never had anything like this happen."
With files from Canadian Press
5 bodies found in Calgary home
1-year-old only survivor, shaken officers say
May 29, 2008 04:30 AM
Shaken police officers could barely speak about what they found inside a home in an upscale Calgary neighbourhood yesterday morning.
Inside were five bodies – three adults and two children, aged 4 and 6. A one-year-old girl, found unscathed, was the only survivor.
Calgary Police Chief Rick Hanson said the victims were a mother, a father and their two daughters. The third adult female was a tenant.
Hanson said they were victims of apparent "domestic homicide."
The baby was removed from the house and later taken by family and social services.
The bodies were found in the Dalhousie neighbourhood of Calgary on what was considered a family-friendly street.
A couple who knew the family arrived to check on them in the morning. They then called 911.
Inspector Frank Reuser, who had carried the 1-year-old survivor from the scene, could barely speak as he choked back tears.
"Most of you have children," he said. "What impact does it have on you? Think about what impact it has on you and you know very well what impact it has on us."
The police officers who were the first on the scene were so upset they sought counselling almost immediately.
Reuser said the baby girl was "doing a lot better than me" and the deaths of the five people inside were not natural.
"They were just an average neighbourhood couple with three kids," neighbour Dennis Beliveau said yesterday morning. "There were cops all over the place, more than I've ever seen."
Police issued a public plea yesterday afternoon asking the media not to contact family members because next-of-kin had not been notified.
The baby "was luckily uninjured and is doing very well," said Emergency Medical Services spokesperson Paul Lapointe.
When the first of two paramedics arrived on the scene, one looked after the baby while the second rushed into the house. But Lapointe said it became clear that there was nothing the paramedic could do for the victims inside.
"They are trained, but it was very traumatic," he said. "Our first concern is looking after the girl. When there are children at all, it's always a difficult situation."
Another neighbour, Mia Albino, said the family had lived there for at least three years. She had seen the children and the parents at the nearby community centre.
"There were two adults and three kids," she said yesterday to reporters. "Everything was fine."
Albino said she often saw the mom walking the kids to school.
Hanson said during a press conference in the early evening that police had obtained a warrant in the afternoon, hours after the discovery of the bodies, and were beginning their investigation.
He said that police have checked their records and he was unable to locate any information that officers had responded to calls or concerns about domestic problems at the house.
"The preliminary indication is this is a domestic homicide. We are looking at any other options," he said. "We're not looking for any suspects and there is no risk to the community."
Residents stood on lawns and watched as an array of police vehicles, media trucks and a circling helicopter overhead turned their tree-lined northwest Calgary neighbourhood into front-page news.
"This is a perfect place to grow up – peaceful," said Graham Hiebert, 20. "We've never had anything like this happen."
With files from Canadian Press
