WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Police Service has confirmed Lisa Gibson drowned her children before she drowned herself.
Lisa Gibson, 32, and her children Anna, 2, and Nicholas, three months, died in late July. Until now officers had refused to confirm what was widely believed, that Gibson had caused the children’s deaths and then took her own life.
“This matter, like all homicide investigations, required in-depth investigative work surrounding forensics, as well as awaiting for time consuming crime lab results,” police said in a news release Thursday. “The criminal portion of this investigation is now concluded and based on the investigation to date, it has been determined that this matter is a homicide/suicide.”
A family member found the children unresponsive in the bathtub early on the morning of July 24 and their mother’s body was found in the Red River on July 27. Her disappearance had sparked a massive hunt by police and the public.
Gibson had sought treatment for post-partum depression. Police went to her house after receiving a call from the home; it’s presumed Gibson placed the call.
Police said they’re doing an internal assessment of their response to the emergency call placed from the Coleridge Park Drive home. Police were already on the scene when the children’s grandmother found their bodies.
“An assessment with respect to emergency response is underway,” said Const. Jason Michalyshen.
The police investigation is now over, Michalyshen said at a news conference on Thursday morning.
Manitoba’s chief medical examiner is also investigating the deaths.
In a statement to Global News Thursday, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority spokesperson Bronwyn Penner-Holigroski said “the WRHA reviewed the interactions Ms. Gibson had with our services, and this has been shared with the (medical examiner) for his investigation. The initial information we have is that the care provided by the WRHA followed normal protocols for postpartum care.”
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