Neighbor of accused Manitoba killer says victims often heard arguments coming from home

According to a neighbor of the accused and five victims in southern Manitoba, he regularly heard verbal arguments coming from the family home.

BACKGROUND: 3 children, 2 women die in southern Manitoba; The suspect is in custody: RKMP

Randy MacFarlane lives a few doors down from the home shared by accused killer Ryan Howard Manoakisik, his common-law partner, their three children and his partner's teenage nephew. Manoakesik faces five counts of first-degree murder.

“Even I was watching and just listening to them, I could see something was wrong here,” MacFarlane said. “So how did it get to this point?” Why didn't someone try to do something?'

RCMP have not released the victims, but an obituary identified them as Amanda Clearwater, her children Bethany, Jayven and Isabella Manoakisik and her niece Maya-Lee Gratton.

McFarlane asks what could have been done to prevent the tragedy.

“You always have the question when you have situations like this … why would you do this to children?” Macfarlane said.

WATCH: Manitoba RCMP suspect involved in five murders

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According to the neighbor, everything in the family was not always as expected.

“People I talked to said he was very polite when he was inside, and he was the same,” MacFarlane said. “There was nothing to suggest anything like that to any of them.”

Five bodies were found Sunday at multiple crime scenes in and around Carman, a town of about 3,000 people southwest of Winnipeg. Manoakesik, 29, was arrested the same day.

The superintendent of Prairie Rose School in Carman says it's clear the community is in “major crisis” after RCMP provided an update Sunday afternoon outlining what police know so far.

Terry Osiowie says he can't recall a tragedy of this magnitude, and the school board has sent crisis support teams to two schools in the area.

“All attention should be focused on the victims and the relatives and friends of the victims,” ​​Osiowi told CityNews. “I think that's what we all have in common is to do whatever we can to support them.”

Manoakesik's next trial for murder is scheduled for February 23.

RCMP said autopsies are being conducted this week as they continue to investigate how the death occurred.

– With Canadian Press files