A father has allegedly killed his two daughters and then died by suicide inside an Aylmer home on Wednesday, according to Gatineau police.
Authorities have identified Essodom Kpatcha, 51, as the father of Orli Kpatcha, 3, and Liel Kpatcha, 5 who were all found dead at an apartment on Wednesday.
An autopsy conducted on Thursday revealed that the girls died by homicide.
Police said Essodom have killed two girls before taking his own life.
The officers who first arrived on the scene have been offered psychological assistance and the police have reached out to the school and daycare center the children attended to ensure that crisis units are available to provide support.
The investigation is now closed, with the incident being described as a double murder-suicide. Neighbors said Thursday the event had disturbed them but said they had seen signs of domestic abuse coming from the household.
Audrée Vachon, a neighbor who lives close to the home said, “I was outside and I heard a woman screaming for help,” Vachon recalled. “She was screaming, ‘My kids, my kids.’ I think she was worried for them.”
“He was saying stuff like, ‘Oh, well, she’s exaggerating,’ and that kind of stuff,” Vachon said. “She had a busted lip and bruises on her cheek. There were clear signs of domestic abuse,” he added.
The deaths have shaken Vachon and other neighbors.