A family member of the three people found dead at a Coniston house on Sunday was still shocked and confused by the news on Monday.
Residing across the street from the scene, taped off by police, the man watched as media photographed the scene and police went in and out of the building. He said the deceased are all members of the same family.
“I didn’t hear anything,” the man said, perplexed as to how something so bad can happen to such good people. Sudbury.com is not naming the man as police have not yet released the names of the deceased.
A neighbour a few houses down from the scene also said they hadn’t heard anything unusual.
“I never heard anything from that house – a quiet house,” the neighbour said.
The three deceased include a father, mother and their teenage son, the family member said, adding that the couple also has a daughter who has since moved out of the house.
The father is the man’s cousin.
“You can’t ask for nicer people,” he said, adding the father would go out of his way to help neighbours. As a “big guy,” the father was particularly helpful in helping neighbours move things.
“For this to happen on this street…” the family member trailed off while shaking his head, later adding that he considers it to be a quiet, safe neighbourhood.
On Sunday afternoon, he said someone else was concerned about the family because they weren’t answering their phones or their door. The neighbour said the person smashed a window with a propane tank and went inside, where they found the bodies and took a St. Bernard dog out of the house to care for.
Officers were dispatched to the home at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Sunday in relation to what police referred to as an “unknown trouble.”
They entered the home, “as there were immediate concerns for the person’s well-being,” police said in a media release. Upon entering the home, officers located three deceased people.
The family member said police officers later came decked out “head to toe” in protective gear as they entered the building.
On Monday morning, officers continued going in and out of the building, but were no longer wearing protective clothing.
The names of the deceased have yet to be released by police, who consider this an isolated incident with no concern for public safety.
The police investigation into this incident is ongoing.
Detectives from Greater Sudbury Police’s Criminal Investigation Division are working in collaboration with the Coroner’s Office on the investigation.
The post-mortems will be conducted through the Coroner in order to assist in determining the cause of death.
Officers will be on scene and in the area canvassing for information.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 705-675-9171 or Crime Stoppers at 705-222-8477.
