Rocky Mountain House drowning may be linked to Ontario homicide

A man drowned in the North Saskatchewan River in central Alberta just days after his husband was killed thousands of kilometres away, prompting a cross-country homicide investigation between RCMP and Ontario police.

Rocky Mountain House RCMP located a deceased man in the river on Thursday and have since identified him as 30-year-old Alexander Collins. Investigators concluded he died from drowning.

Two days before, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) found his partner, 27-year-old Sean Collins, dead in a home in Thorndale, Ont., where both men are residents. The death was ruled a homicide but investigators did not say what happened or when.

OPP Const. Kevin Howe confirmed to Postmedia the two deceased men were in a domestic relationship but declined to comment on whether the case had been ruled a murder-suicide. Authorities are tight-lipped on the probe.

It’s unclear why Alexander was found over 3,000 kilometres away in Rocky Mountain House, just outside of Red Deer, or the reason Ontario police were alerted to the suburban Thorndale home.

“Right now the investigation is ongoing but I can say we believe there’s no further risk to the public,” Howe told Postmedia.

There are no suspects in custody.