Manitoba RCMP say three children and two women are dead, and a man is in custody

WINNIPEG – Police offered their condolences Sunday to residents of a small Manitoba town as they launched an investigation into how three children died and two women were found dead in a burning car.

RCMP Insp. Tim Arsenault gave few details at a hastily called news conference, but police believe the five dead and the suspect all knew each other.

A 29-year-old man is in custody, but it is not yet known what charges he will face.

According to Arsenault, one of the women was found by Man. Residents of Karman are grieving as they try to cope with the deaths of some of its young members. The community of about 3,000 people is located 85 kilometers southwest of Winnipeg.

“I want to express my condolences to the families and friends who have lost a loved one today,” Arsenault said. “As a parent, I can't begin to imagine the pain of your loss. Please know that the RCMP and everyone in Manitoba are with you.

“The communities of Carman and the surrounding areas will also be saddened to have lost one of their youngest residents in such a tragic way.”

Arsenault said five dead people were found at three separate scenes.

Police spotted the first at 7:30 a.m. They were reported to have hit and run on Highway 3 about six kilometers south of Carman. The woman's body was found in a ditch on the side of the road, Arsenault said.

The next call came to the RCMP at 10 a.m. about a car on fire 70 kilometers north in the rural municipality of Cartier.

“While officers were on their way to the scene, a witness pulled three small children out of the burning vehicle,” Arsenault said. “Sadly, all three children were pronounced dead at the scene.”

Arsenault said the suspect was taken into custody at the scene of the fire.

He said further investigation led officers to a home in Carman, where they found the body of another woman inside.

Arsenault said it was too early to determine what happened between the dead and the suspect.

“We have teams and teams of investigators working on this right now and trying to understand what happened (and) why it happened.”

He did not give the ages of any of the dead or describe the relationship between them and the suspect.

Carman Mayor Brent Owen said he was saddened to hear about the deaths, adding that about 80 percent of the city's residents did not know the victims personally, although they did.

He said he learned of the first death after receiving a text from a community member, but didn't fully understand the extent of what happened until he heard the details from police.

“It's terrible. You take five people and three children from our community. It's unimaginable,” he told his friends and family.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew also tweeted his condolences to those affected by the tragedy.

“Comfort and strength to Carman's family and community during this difficult loss,” Kinew said in a tweet.

An RCMP spokesperson said police plan to release more information later in the week.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on February 11, 2024.

Brittany Hobson, Canadian Press