Triple murder-suicide rocks small-town Ontario

A man killed three members of the same family — two women and one man — at their central Ontario home before taking his own life, police said Sunday.

Ontario Provincial Police Det. Insp. Martin Graham said a family friend stopped by the home in Ryerson Township, Ont., for a pre-arranged visit on Friday night and “came across this tragic scene.”

The friend then called 911 immediately, around 7:30 p.m., Graham said.

“The fourth deceased in the residence is not related by blood to the three victims of the homicide, but is also a resident of Ryerson Township,” Graham said.

He said the three family members lived in the house where they were found dead. On Sunday, police had blocked off access to the home as they continue their investigation. The home sits at the end of a rural road in the isolated community of just under 650 people, about 300 kilometres north of Toronto.

Graham, who’s leading the investigation, said police found guns at the home, but wouldn’t say whether any of the victims were shot, only that all four had signs of trauma.

He isn’t sure when the killings occurred.

“We’re trying to narrow down the time that this incident took place,” Graham said. “We know it took place sometime between Wednesday evening and up to 7:30 p.m. on Friday.”