The lone male among five dead people found in a northwest Calgary home may have been responsible for the violence in what is now being investigated as a potential murder-suicide, police said Thursday.
“Preliminary investigations have led us down that path,” said Insp. Guy Slater, cautioning against jumping to conclusions as it’s still early in the investigation
Police are expected to confirm the names of the deceased today after autopsies were completed last night.
Neighbours said the Darhart Hill residence was home to Joshua Lall, 34, his wife Alison, 35, and two daughters, Kristen, 6, and Rochelle, 4, who were discovered dead along with tenant Amber Bowerman, found in a basement suite, when police and EMS arrived at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
The Lall’s one-year-old daughter, Anna, was the lone-survivor and is “doing well” in protective custody, Slater said.
Cohos Evamy Integrated Design chairman Rob Adamson, the firm where Lall worked designing accessible buildings for the disabled, said the 34-year-old was a “dedicated and committed” member of their team who will be “sorely missed.”
“People are shocked, people don’t understand, people are devastated,” Adamson said, declining comment that Lall had scheduled time off.
The company has made counseling services available to employees.
City police and EMS workers also continue to undergo treatment for the psychological after effects of the “gruesome scene,” Slater said.
Police wouldn’t indicate whether they had retrieved the murder weapon or a suicide note and said they have yet to establish a motive for the slayings, but are working with family and friends to establish a broader picture and didn’t rule out a mental breakdown.
