Mother, young son and daughter now dead in domestic incident in Ajax; man, 29, in custody
CBC News | Posted: March 14, 2018 4:42 PM | Last Updated: March 15, 2018
Bodies of a mother, 39, and son, 15, found inside home, daughter, 13, died later of injuries
A 13-year-old girl has died of her injuries after her mother and brother were found dead in an Ajax home on Wednesday.
On Wednesday evening, Durham police announced that a 29-year-old Ajax man had been taken into custody near a residence in Oshawa, and was facing two counts of second-degree murder. His name has not been released.
Const. George Tudos could not confirm if the case is now being treated as a triple homicide, saying the man's charges will be updated on Thursday morning.
Police have not yet identified the victims, but said the mother is 39 and the son is 15. Tudos could not confirm that next of kin had been notified.
Police were called to the home on Hilling Drive, near Lake Driveway West and Westney Road South at 11 a.m. on Wednesday morning, where officers located the bodies of the mother and son.
The call came after a friend of the mother went to check on her and was met by a man at the door who refused to let her in, before he left in a vehicle.
The 13-year-old was also at the home and was rushed to hospital in life-threatening condition before dying of her injuries on Wednesday night.
A third sibling, a girl who was not at home at the time of the incident, was found safe, Tudos said.
Durham police's tactical support unit arrested the man in Oshawa after a search. Tudos said he believes the suspect had a relationship with the mother, but is not the father of the children.
Police said they are investigating the deaths as a domestic incident and said the deaths were not the result of a "random attack."
Vehicle connected to suspect found
Officers located an unoccupied vehicle in the area of Brock Road and Highway 401 that is believed to be connected to the suspect.
Christina Nelson, who has lived in the neighbourhood for 15 years, said the discovery of the bodies was shocking.
"I'm a little flabbergasted at all this," Nelson said.
She said a mother and her three children lived in the house, and that she saw what looked like an adult woman being taken into an ambulance.
"Something went seriously wrong over there," she said.