The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) has released the identities of a man and woman whose bodies were discovered inside a home in Contrecoeur, roughly 65 km east of Montreal, in the Montérégie.
SQ spokesperson Valérie Beauchamp said the bodies of Lisette Corbeil, 56, and David Joly, 49, were found by officers from the régie intermunicipale de police Richelieu-Saint-Laurent who were called to a residence on Marie-Victorin Road just before 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
Beauchamp said Corbeil’s death was declared at the scene while Joly’s death was declared in hospital.
The bodies have been sent to Montreal for autopsy.
While police initially said the deaths were considered suspicious, they are now investigating the deaths as a murder-suicide.
Beauchamp said it is believed the man killed the woman before dying by suicide.
Police would not confirm the link — if any — between the pair.
Beauchamp said a command post has been set up as investigators and crime scene technicians gather evidence in a bid to uncover the circumstances leading up to the discovery of the bodies.
Quebec has seen a recent spate of femicides since the start of the year prompting the Quebec government to invest millions in the fight against domestic violence.
Corbeil’s death is potentially the province’s 12th femicide of 2021.