'A mother's worst nightmare:' 6-year-old girl and her father found dead in Red Deer home
Police still investigating how the father and daughter died but say there is no threat to the public
An Alberta mother is grieving after her six-year-old daughter was found dead inside a home in Red Deer, alongside the girl's deceased father, RCMP say.
The girl lived in the home with her 39-year-old father part-time and went to school outside the Red Deer area, Supt. Ken Foster said at a news conference in Red Deer on Monday afternoon.
Police have spoken to the girl's mother, he said.
"As you can imagine, it's a mother's worst nightmare. She is now grieving the loss of a child."
Police found the bodies after being contacted by someone concerned about the well-being of the people inside the home, Foster said.
They were discovered around 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the home in the Lancaster Meadows neighbourhood in the city's southeast.
Officers with the Mounties' serious crimes unit are investigating the deaths but police have so far not revealed publicly the identities of the girl and her father, details on how they died or details on his relationship with the girl's mother.
Red Deer RCMP said Monday the investigation is ongoing but there appears to be no threat to the public.
"On behalf of the RCMP, I want to express our most sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased," said Foster.
"This is a tragic loss that affects our whole community."
Teachers and classmates at the girl's school have been notified and counselling is being arranged.
Autopsies are scheduled for Tuesday in Calgary.
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