RCMP investigating 5 suspicious deaths in southern Manitoba – Winnipeg Free Press

The bodies of two women and three children were found in southern Manitoba early Sunday morning, in what police believe are related.

A 29-year-old man is in police custody but has not been formally charged, said Insp. Tim Arsenault, head of the provincial RCMP Major Crimes Unit.

“Today is a sad day for the many people who have lost loved ones, for the community of Karman and for this province. There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered,” he said Sunday afternoon, speaking from RCMP D-Division headquarters.

“We have a team of investigators working on this now and trying to understand what happened, why it happened and what the sequence of events was,” Arsenault said.

Police found the bodies at three separate locations, including a house in Karman; near Highway 3 between Carman and Winkler; and Highway 248, north of Provincial Road 424, RCMP said.

The investigation began around 7:30 a.m. when Mounties from the Carman detachment responded to what was believed to be a hit-and-run incident at the time, when they found a dead woman in a ditch near Highway 3.

At 10 a.m., Headingley RCMP were called to a report of a vehicle fire on Highway 248. A witness stopped at the scene and pulled three children out of the burning car before the police arrived.

All three children were pronounced dead at the scene.

Mounties detained the suspect near the vehicle without incident. The investigation then led officers to the house in Carman where the last body was found.

Arsenault confirmed that all the deaths are related.

RCMP did not release the names, ages or other details of the victims, who are all from the Carman area.

The name of the suspect was not released. Arsenault said investigators believe he knew the victims.

“We're working backwards to see what the timeline is, but we don't have that yet. I know there aren't a lot of answers, but we're very early on in this and wanted to share what we know now,” Arsenault said.

“I would like to express my condolences to the family and friends who have lost a loved one today.”

Officers from the RCMP Forensic Identification Services, Major Crime Services Collision Reconstruction Unit and the Carman, Headingley and Stonewall detachments are assisting with the investigation, he said.

Manitoba 511 reports that sections of highways 3 and 248 near the location of the bodies were closed at 11 a.m.

By 5:00 p.m., multiple emergency units, including police, forensics and an ambulance, remained at the scene at both locations and traffic was being diverted onto nearby provincial roads.

A charred shell of an SUV was found on the side of the road near the intersection of Highway 248 and Provincial Road 424.

At Highway 3, forensic experts were seen working in a ditch.

Carman Mayor Brent Owen said the community of about 3,000 people, located about 85 kilometers southwest of Winnipeg, is still waiting for more information about what happened and who the victims are.

“Obviously, we're shocked,” he said by phone, describing Carman as a safe community and “a great place to live.”

“We are all in the same boat. It's sad. It's scary.”

He said he learned of the incident Sunday morning after the first victim was found, and it was a Carman resident who found the woman and called police.

Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham offered his condolences on Sunday evening on X (formerly known as Twitter) as news of the tragedy spread.

“Having grown up in Karman and still have many connections in the area, I am shocked and saddened by today's news. I offer my sincere condolences to the community and family affected by this tragedy,” he wrote.

The RCMP intends to hold another press conference Monday afternoon with more details, a spokeswoman said.

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