A Manitoba man has been charged with 1st degree murder in the deaths of his partner, 3 children and his partner's relative.

WARNING: This story contains details of the death of children.

A Manitoba man has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder Sunday in connection with the deaths of his 30-year-old partner, their three young children and a relative of his partner, who were found at various locations in southern Manitoba. .

RCMP identified Ryan Howard Manoakisik, 29, of Carman, as the man charged in the death at a news conference Monday afternoon.

The deceased included her six-year-old daughter, four-year-old son and 2-and-a-half-month-old daughter and a 17-year-old relative of her common partner, Insp. Tim Arsenault said.

“Young, innocent lives were senselessly taken yesterday, and we mourn with all Manitobans,” Arsenault said. “Our thoughts are with the Carman community as they mourn the loss of the entire family.”

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All five victims and the accused lived together in the Carman community, about 75 kilometers southwest of Winnipeg. Autopsies began Monday and will continue Tuesday, Arsenault said.

Nancy Clearwater identified the 30-year-old woman who was killed as her daughter, Amanda Clearwater.

The dead children are her grandchildren, six-year-old Bethany, four-year-old Jayven and 2½-month-old Isabella Manoakeesik. Clearwater has identified the murdered 17-year-old girl as her niece, Maya Gratton.

“I'm numb. I don't know what to feel,” Clearwater told CBC News. “He loved these kids.

“She was a very good mother.”

Neighbor Randy McFarlane said the family has rented their Carman home for at least a year, and he often hears the Clearwater children playing outside.

On Monday, children's toys and bicycles could be seen lying in the yard of the home as forensic teams went in and out of the small bungalow.

In 2019, the judge warned: “This will cost your family.”

Manoakisik has a history of substance abuse and mental health issues and was previously convicted of smashing an electronic display at a Winnipeg Tim Hortons while high on methamphetamine.

At a 2019 hearing, he was granted parole after pleading guilty to trespassing by throwing glass coffee mugs at a display as employees barricaded themselves in a back office and called 911.

The court heard the then 25-year-old struggled with mental health issues including anxiety and depression. He was ordered to undergo a substance abuse and mental health evaluation and participate in any treatment recommended.

The judge told her to get help “before things get completely out of control.”

“If you don't do something, it's going to hurt your family,” he said.

The court heard Manoakeesik is a member of the Garden Hill First Nation, but has been in foster care since the age of eight. At the time of the Tim Hortons incident, she was living with her common-law partner and their two children.

RCMP Insp. Arsenault said officers are still trying to piece together the timeline of what happened Sunday, but “until we have a clear picture of what happened and when, we can't release any details.”

“We understand what. Now we need to understand why. It will take a long time,” he said. “We will get there, but it will take time and we want to get it right.”

Manoakesik remains in custody, he said.

“It's Pure Darkness”: Prime

The bodies of the victims were found in three separate locations in southern Manitoba on Sunday.

Amanda Clearwater first appeared at 7:30 a.m. Sunday in Carman and Winkler, Man. His body was found in a ditch along the highway, RCMP said.

About 2.5 hours later and 70 kilometers north of Carman, officers went to investigate a report of a car on fire and found three children, who were pronounced dead, and Manoakeesik, who was taken into custody.

While initial police reports said a witness helped pull three young children out of the burning car on Sunday, Mounties now says that information is incorrect. Police now believe the accused dropped the children from the car.

Further investigation led officers to a home in Carman, where they found the body of a 17-year-old boy inside. Arsenault said officers are no longer at the scene on the highway, but they remain at the home in Carman.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew expressed his condolences to the family at a news conference.

“There's no context, no explanation that makes this right. It's pure darkness. But I want to tell the people of Manitoba that we're not powerless in the face of darkness,” he said.

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“We can find support in the community. I know that even in the midst of this darkness today, there are signs that there is light in our province.

“Those witnesses called for help. People in schools began to have difficult conversations with children who did not know where their classmates were. And we had first aid at the scene.”

Kinnew spoke after Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Chief Cathy Merrick, who became emotional as she spoke about the death.

“Talking to him hurts my heart. I'm a grandmother, I'm a cook. I have grandchildren, and I'm thinking about them when I sit here, we have to prevent such situations in our family,” she said.

“We only get one chance in life. We have to respect it. We have to make sure our relatives respect life so they don't fall into the system, so we have a big responsibility as leaders, as mothers. We have to be responsible for how we teach our children to respect.”

SEE | Mounties provide details of the investigation at Manitoba RCMP headquarters:

Terri Osiowy, Prairie Rose School Superintendent, said Carman College and Carman Elementary School, where the victims were students, have crisis response teams.

“The two buildings are relatively quiet right now. Our feeling is that everyone is in shock and can't believe that something like this could happen to our community,” Osiowi said.

Her advice to parents to help their children understand what happened is to “be open and honest and listen to them. They need to feel safe.”

If parents are having trouble, they are encouraged to contact any of the schools, he said.

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Support is available for anyone affected by these reports. You can speak with a mental health professional through Wellness Together Canada by calling 1-866-585-0445 or texting WELLNESS to 686868 for youth or 741741 for adults. It's free and confidential.