A man is facing three first-degree murder charges for the deaths of his three relatives in a triple homicide in Prince Albert, Sask.
Nathaniel Carrier, 28, is also facing an attempted murder charge for an attack on his daughter.
He is scheduled to make his next court appearance on April 15 in Prince Albert.
Officers were called to a home at 315 MacArthur Dr. just after 4 p.m. on March 29. Police said a concerned friend of the family went to the house before contacting police.
The Prince Albert Police Service confirmed on Tuesday that 56-year-old Denis Carrier, 56-year-old Sandra Henry and a seven-year-old boy, Bentlee, were found dead at the house. Police and neighbours confirmed to Global News that Carrier and Henry were the accused’s parents, while Bentlee was his son.
The accused’s five-year-old daughter, Kendrah, remains in hospital in Edmonton with serious injuries. She was airlifted to the Alberta capital by Saskatchewan Air Ambulance. Her condition has been upgraded from critical to stable condition, police said.
“Investigators learned that Nathaniel Carrier also lived at the MacArthur Drive property and his whereabouts were unknown,” Prince Albert police Insp. Craig Mushka said.
A vehicle belonging to Denis Carrier was also missing. By Sunday evening, RCMP informed Prince Albert police that the vehicle was in La Ronge.
RCMP are helping to establish what the accused did while in La Ronge, Mushka said.
Investigators found the suspect Sunday evening in Prince Albert, and “felt confident that he was no longer a risk to public safety,” though the inspector declined to say where Nathaniel Carrier was at that time.
Police arrested Nathaniel Carrier Tuesday afternoon.
New evidence suggests the homicides happened on Saturday, March 28. Autopsies were scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.
Surveillance video from the surrounding area helped police determine the date of the killings, according to police.
“To ensure the integrity of the investigation, police will not disclose the cause and manner of death,” Mushka said.
The last name of the children is not being released at the request of the family.
Prince Albert police said they’re not looking for any other suspects at this time. Police had no involvement with Nathaniel Carrier before the deaths over the weekend.
“I offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends who’ve lost loved ones to this horrific crime. As a police service, we continue to investigate what happened while also working to make sense of something that is absolutely tragic,” police Chief Jonathan Bergen said Tuesday.
“We want to offer our condolences to the family of the victims and those who knew them. We cannot imagine how extremely difficult this tragedy will be to heal from and to process.”
The police chief added that supports are being brought in for officers.
“We’ve arranged for a psychologist to come in and work with the group and work with each individual officer to provides the support that they may need to move forward. So really and our members are strong, but they’re also human. And this is going to be difficult for each and every one of them.”
“We’re going to make sure that we’re checking in on their wellness and keeping them healthy so they can continue to serve us as we’re expected to.”
-With files from David Giles
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