Calgary police investigate after 2 children found dead in vehicle

Calgary news: Police found two children dead in a vehicle in northwest Calgary on Thursday and took a male into custody near the vehicle. Officers closed part of 14th Street N.W. north of John Laurie Boulevard as the investigation moved into its early homicide phase.

Duty Insp. Darren Smith said just after noon that “officers are early in the homicide investigation and are still trying to identify the victims.” Police had received a phone call before locating the vehicle in the 4300 block of 14th Street N.W. in the North Haven community.

Darren Smith briefing

Smith said police had not determined whether the male in custody was related to the victims. That leaves the custody status and the relationship question running on separate tracks while investigators work to identify the children and sort out what led officers to the vehicle.

The case was still developing on Thursday, and police had already moved to block off a section of road near John Laurie Boulevard. For drivers and nearby residents, that meant a visible police presence along 14th Street N.W. while investigators worked the scene in the 4300 block.

14th Street N.W. closure

The road closure covered a section of 14th Street N.W. north of John Laurie Boulevard because of a serious incident. Police linked the closure to the vehicle where the children were found, keeping the area controlled while the homicide investigation remained at an early stage.

The next step for investigators is the identification work Smith described, along with determining whether the male in custody has any family connection to the children. Until police finish that part of the case, the question driving the investigation is not just what happened in the vehicle, but who the victims were and how the man nearby fits into the scene.