Calgary police investigators say the deaths of three people found in a burned car on Monday and a man found on the side of Highway 22 Wednesday morning were “brutal” murders.
“I think everybody has seen the images of the fire that was in the vehicle — that in itself has a brutal context to it,” Calgary Police Service homicide unit Acting Insp. Paul Wozney said.
READ MORE: Link between body found on Highway 22 and burnt car homicide likely: police
“And then… Mr. Afowerk, whose body was located on the west side of Calgary, again there was a certain brutality to the way his body was dumped.”
WATCH: Acting Insp. Paul Wozney says the brutality in a Calgary quadruple homicide has been “surprising to seasoned investigators”
An autopsy confirmed Thursday the body found on Highway 22 is that of 26-year-old Hanock Afowerk, the registered owner of the burned car.
“There are also parts of the investigation that I can’t speak to, with regards to injuries to the bodies… but I will say that it certainly has been surprising to some very seasoned investigators,” Wozney said.
The bodies of sisters Glynnis Fox, 36, and Tiffany Ear, 39, as well as 25-year-old Cody Pfeiffer were found in Afowerk’s car after firefighters were called to the scene of a burning car in the community of Sage Hill early Monday morning.
Police are investigating whether Fox, Ear and Pfeiffer were “simply at the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people.” They believe the sisters were caught up in a targeted attack against Afowerk.
WATCH: Acting Insp. Paul Wozney says the investigation leads police to believe Hanock Afowerk was the target in a quadruple homicide
“The two female victims that were involved in this, Ms. Fox and Ms. Ear, we believe came to know the other victims recently, very recently,” Wozney said.
“What we’re saying is that it was just a matter of poor timing that this ultimately led to their untimely death.
“Based on our investigation to this point, checks in the community, some information that’s come in from the public, we’ve been able to piece that part of it together and we believe that Mr. Afowerk was the target in this.”
Officers are also looking at the possibility of multiple crime scenes.
Police said a social media post published by Ear is helping them piece together a timeline of the night leading up to finding the burning car.
Investigators believe Ear created the post herself, leading them to believe she was alive at 3 a.m. on Monday.
The sisters both leave behind multiple children, police said.
Wozney said he didn’t have a timeline for when each of the women may have left their homes.
WATCH: Calgary police are investigating three people found dead in a burnt car and a body found west of Calgary as a quadruple homicide
Investigators are still appealing to the public for any information, photos or videos that may help in their investigation into what they’re calling “ruthless” murders.
Police said all of the victims suffered “significant traumatic injuries.”
“We know that there are people in the community that have information regarding this event,” Wozney said.
“We know that people know what happened. And if they’re scared, if they are in any way hesitant to contact us, they can do so anonymously through Crime Stoppers or through our tip line.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 403-266-1234 or to contact Crime Stoppers anonymously.
WATCH: CPS Acting Insp. Paul Wozney says there are people with information regarding a quadruple homicide and are asking them to come forward
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