STETTLER, Alta. – Two men are facing murder charges in the deaths of one of their families in central Alberta.
A spokeswoman with Alberta Justice confirmed Friday that 29-year-old Joshua Frank and 38-year-old Jason Klaus have each been charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
The remains of Klaus’s father and sister, Gordon and Monica Klaus, were found in the rubble of a burned-out farmhouse near Castor last December.
His mother, Sandra Klaus, wasn’t found but RCMP have said that they believe she also died in the fire.
Emergency responders found the family’s dog shot dead outside the home when they arrived at the scene.
Three days after the fire, police found the family’s white GMC Sierra truck abandoned about 30 kilometres away.
Jason Klaus lived in a home across from his parents but was unharmed. He told media that his sister had been visiting.
Both accused men are also charged with arson and Frank faces a further charge of causing cruelty to animals.
WATCH: RCMP confirms two men have been arrested in connection with triple homicide in central Alberta.
The RCMP had few other details, only saying that more information would be released at a news conference in Calgary on Saturday.
Witnesses have said that at least one man was arrested Friday morning after an explosion was heard at a home in Stettler that belonged to Monica Klaus.
A Facebook page has been started to remember all three victims.
The family is survived by Gordon and Sandy’s son, Jason Klaus, who lives on a property across from the family farm and worked the land with his father.
With files from Global News.
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