Three found dead in vehicle parked near Conklin

Three people are dead after they were found unresponsive in a vehicle Tuesday near Conklin.

At around 12:25 p.m., Wood Buffalo RCMP members were alerted to a vehicle parked on a remote access road.

A security guard had found a 29-year-old male, a 21-year-old female and a 22-year-old female unresponsive in the vehicle, according to a police news release. All three people were declared dead at the scene.

Cpl. Teri-Ann Deobald said at this point there is no indication of any criminal connection to the deaths, or if carbon monoxide poisoning played a role.

“The vehicle was off when it was found. Depending on toxicology reports, we will also be looking at the vehicle,” she said.

“The time of death is unknown at this point.”

There was also no immediate word on what the fuel level was in the vehicle’s tank at the time. Temperatures in the region have been around -30 C.

Autopsies are pending and police have not released the names of the people, although Deobald said all three have different surnames and are not residents of the Conklin or Fort McMurray areas.

“One of the individuals did not have information on them,” Deobald said. “I don’t know if they had temporary housing here or where their families are from. It’s not uncommon for (the Municipality of ) Wood Buffalo to have transient workers coming through from different cities.”

Conklin is 357 km northeast of Edmonton.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Wood Buffalo RCMP at 780-788-4040, or Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-2228477 (TIPS), or on the internet at www.tipsubmit.com.