Calgary father facing murder charges in deaths of kids, aged 5 and 3

A father is facing murder charges after his two young children were found dead in a vehicle just steps from a Calgary police station on Thursday.

Officers discovered the bodies of a five‑year‑old boy and a three‑year‑old girl inside an SUV parked across the street from the Calgary Police Service District 3 station around 10 a.m.

Police were alerted to the parked vehicle on 14 Street NW, north of John Laurie Boulevard, after receiving a tip call. A 37‑year‑old man who was found outside the vehicle was arrested at the scene.

Calgary police Staff Sgt. Mark Rahn said Friday that the accused himself called 911, told the operator he had killed his children, and provided his location.

He was instructed to place his keys on the hood and exit the vehicle, where responding officers found him. He later repeated his confession in an interview room.

The day before the killings, the mother contacted police when the father failed to return the children after an agreed‑upon outing. Officers advised her to seek a court order that would allow police to retrieve the children; Rahn said she was attempting to obtain that order on Thursday morning when the deaths were discovered.

Investigators believe the father picked up the children between 5 and 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, travelled west of the city for several hours, and returned to Calgary around 8 a.m. Police now believe the killings occurred shortly before midnight.

Rahn confirmed the children’s parents had a domestic history with CPS, with officers attending their residence four times in the past. No charges were ever laid and there had been no prior reports of violence toward the children.

The couple had been in a six‑year relationship and separated nearly a year ago.

Investigators have not confirmed a motive.

“Why any individual would kill their own children, I don’t think anyone would be satisfied with any kind of answer I could give,” he said.

Rahn said the last two days have been extremely difficult for first responders and investigators.

“This is a devastating and unimaginable loss,” he said. “Discovering dead children is incredibly traumatic, not just for us, but for everyone who attended.”

The accused was described as compliant during his arrest and remains cooperative, according to police.

He has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and has been remanded in custody. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

A publication ban prevents his or the victim’s identity from being disclosed.

Mother visits church in mourning

On Friday, the mother went to her place of comfort, the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo St. Michael Church in central Calgary, where she and her husband were parishioners.

Inside the church, the woman wept in waves as others embraced and tried to comfort her.

She had been brought down the stairs and into the basement of the church with tear-streaked cheeks, hanging limply off the shoulder of someone who walked her in. She chanted in Tigrinya, a language spoken mainly in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia.

Her grief was palpable in the basement of the church. 

Women who sat in foldable chairs had already began weeping with her before she had entered, having heard her cries as she walked through the church doors. Some men buried their faces in white scarves wrapped around their necks.

At the front of the room was bread, bottled water and a bowl of dabo kolo, an Ethiopian and Eritrean finger food. Those grieving were expected to remain there into the night and return over the weekend.

The mother was sat on a blanketed area near the corner of the church and constantly surrounded by women. Seemingly exhausted, they held her upright or laid her head on their shoulders. 

When she began to cry again, others would join her.

Speaking in Tigrinya, Father Goitom Mengesha said a prayer for the children. 

Later, speaking outside the church, Mengesha said he went to the mother’s home to support her as soon as he learned about the deaths.

“She was shocked, she wasn’t able to speak, she was unable to cry,” said Mengesha, speaking through an interpreter in Tigrinya.

“But then we brought her here today; this is where we always gather with any funeral or anything happens, so this is where we support each other.”

Adanech Sahilie, executive director for the Immigrant Outreach Society, called it a “nightmare for the community.”

“No one expected such a horrible news, and it’s really hard for the mom,” said Sahilie.

“She doesn’t have any family members in Canada. She raised them alone and (is now) having this nightmare.

“I don’t know how she’s going to bear it.”

Dayne Patterson and Bill Graveland with The Canadian Press contributed to this report