The RCMP confirmed Tuesday evening that the deaths of two boys and a man, whose bodies were found in a Spruce Grove home on Monday, were a double murder and suicide.
They said the victims were two boys, aged 11 and 13. RCMP said the other body found in the home was a 39-year-old man and they did not describe him as a victim. While RCMP have not confirmed the names of the victims, Global News has independently confirmed the bodies discovered inside the home were those of Corry MacDougall and his sons, 13-year-old Ryder MacDougall and 11-year-old Radek MacDougall.
“This is a horrible tragic loss to Spruce Grove and our hearts and prayers go out to the family,” Sgt. Jack Poitras said in a statement.
Two hockey sticks, several teddy bears and a collection of flowers formed a memorial on the front lawn of the home west of Edmonton Tuesday.
“I am so sorry this happened. 2 beautiful boys taken (too) early. My family is heartbroken for your tragic loss,” read a message written on one of the sticks.
Brent Stark, the boys’ stepfather, spoke to Global News Monday evening. He said it was he and the boys’ mother Tracy who discovered the bodies and called police.
RCMP confirmed that the bodies of three people were found in the home at 2 Haney Court Monday morning and that they are not looking for any suspects.
READ MORE: ‘Beautiful souls’: Stepfather of 2 boys found dead in Spruce Grove home speaks out
Stark described the boys as young, determined, “beautiful souls” who were enthusiastic hockey players and were dedicated to their family, sports and their education.
Dallas Ansell is the head coach of Ryder’s hockey team, the Bantam AA Parkland Athletic Club Timberwolves. He said when Ryder joined the team in the fall he was pretty quiet but really began to open up over the past few months.
“He started to crack a couple jokes as the season went on,” Ansell said. “He was definitely one of the strongest kids on the ice. If there was ever a situation where a guy slashed our goalie or a little guy got hit then he was definitely one of the most loyal teammates too. He would always stand up for a teammate.”
Ansell said he learned of the tragedy Monday afternoon and the hockey organization decided to have a team meeting to talk to players right away. The meeting was open to Ryder and Radek’s teammates, and any other players who wanted to talk or just listen.
“We just wanted to make sure that all the kids knew the number of options they had for support, whether that is their parents, their coaches. I told them and the other coach was really adamant about making sure the kids knew that 24/7 if anybody wanted to call and talk about anything,” he said.
“I expressed to them that it’s okay to not be okay. Definitely in hockey there’s kind of the portrayal that every hockey player has to not show weakness to be strong but I let them know that I was crying last night too and it’s okay.”
He said some of the kids stuck around after the meeting to talk and offer support to each other.
Jarl Nome lives across the street from the MacDougalls. His two boys knew Ryder and Radek through hockey.
“Obviously, it’s been hard on a lot of boys. We had a big gathering with a few of the hockey teams last night… with all the players and the boys consoling each other and trying to get strength from one another,” he said.
“The hockey family is big and strong and we want to just stay together and get strength from each other because it’s obviously affecting a lot of people.”
Nome’s son Spencer plays for one of two Bantam AA teams in Spruce Grove. He and Ryder would shoot pucks in the backyard and play video games together.
“My boy plays on the Broncos team and Ryder played on the Timberwolves team,” he said. “They both wore #3 , they’re both defencemen and they got to know each other pretty good over the last few months here just both moving to the community over the summer.”
Nome explained it’s hitting too close to home.
“My boys are 13 and nine, so pretty similar age to the two boys next door, to Ryder and Radek, so it’s having an impact on me. So today we wanted to head out to the outdoor rink, play a bit of shinny, shoot the puck around a little bit and remember the boys.”
Another neighbour in the Hilldowns area said she didn’t sleep much Monday night, thinking about what happened inside the home. “It’s just terrible, horrible to think that they all could have been sleeping while two boys were fighting for their lives,” she said Tuesday morning.
“He was really funny, and he always made people laugh, and he was really sporty,” Taysia Houle, a friend and classmate of Radek, said as she dropped flowers off at the memorial.
Houle, who stayed home from school on Tuesday, brought blue roses because “that was one of his favourite colours.”
The boys were students at the nearby Greystone Centennial Middle School, Parkland School Division No. 70 confirmed. Ryder was in Grade 8; Radek was in Grade 6.
“Our hearts and prayers are with Ryder and Radek’s family,” communications spokesman Jordi Weidman said.
“When incidents that involve an unexpected death of a student or staff member happen or even if there are students who may know victims of accidents or tragic events, a full trauma response team is deployed to the school,” he said.
The school division said information will be shared with parents looking for ways to support their children through this difficult time, in the form of a letter that will go home with students at the end of the day.
“We are coping as best we can, but as you can appreciate, everyone reacts differently and we just want to meet the needs of both staff and students at this point,” Eric Cameron, PSD No. 70 board of trustees chairman, said Tuesday at the school board’s office in Stony Plain.
Cameron said the school would plan to keep as much normalcy as possible, but there would be support workers on hand in case students needed to step out of class.
The boys played with the Spruce Grove Minor Hockey Association, whose president posted a statement online calling the deaths an “unimaginable tragedy.”
“I ask that all of you join with me in sending your love and prayers to their family today and in the difficult days to come,” SGMHA president Christy Rake said.
“Like all of you, my husband and I have had a very difficult time trying to explain the unexplainable to our son.”
Rake said she was arranging for help for the players and coaches dealing with the loss of their teammates and friends. Information from victim services would be posted to the hockey club’s website, and members struggling to come to terms with the deaths were encouraged to reach out for help.
A vigil is planned Tuesday night at 8 p.m. at 41 Ravine Drive in Whitecourt to honour Ryder and Radek.
Another vigil will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. at Spruce Grove’s Central Park to remember the boys.
RCMP are investigating the deaths. Police responded to the home on Haney Court around 10:30 Monday morning, after receiving a 911 call from a family member.
RCMP Cpl. Kim Mueller said Mounties are waiting for autopsies to be completed before releasing more information, including the identities of the victims. Autopsies are scheduled for 9 a.m. MT Tuesday.
Spruce Grove is about 20 kilometres west of Edmonton.
— With files from Shallima Maharaj, Emily Mertz, Caley Ramsay and Phil Heidenreich, Global News
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