One of the suspects in the stabbing deaths of 10 people in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan has been found dead, police said, but warned that his accomplice remains at large.
The body of Damien Sanderson was found with visible wounds in a grassy area near a house being examined by police. His injuries are not believed to be self-inflicted.
Police said his brother Myles remained at large and was believed to be seeking shelter in the provincial capital of Regina. Police said they believed he had also sustained injuries.
The country is still reeling from one of the deadliest attacks in its history as police from multiple provinces ramp up their search.
On Sunday morning, two men attacked people in an Indigenous community in Saskatchewan, and a neighbouring village. At least 18 people were injured before the suspects fled in a stolen vehicle.
The prime minister, Justin Trudeau, described the attacks as “horrific and heartbreaking”.
“This kind of violence, or any kind of violence, has no place in our country,” he told reporters Monday afternoon, pledging his government’s support in both the hunt for the men, as well as for the victims of the mass killing.
The bulk of the Saskatchewan stabbings happened in James Smith Cree Nation, an Indigenous community of 3,400, and the village of Weldon. Police said they were investigating 13 separate locations as crime scenes.
The RCMP identified Damien and Myles Sanderson as the two suspects in the killings.
The RCMP said the men had been formally charged with first degree murder, attempted murder and breaking and entering.
At a brief press update late Monday afternoon, police announced that the body of Damien had been located near a property in James Smith Cree Nation.
Police initially believed the brothers fled the community en-route to Regina, more than 300 kilometres south. Two people matching the brothers’ description were spotted in a black Nissan Rogue, the same as the stolen vehicle the pair were driving.
But the discovery of Damien’s remains and the reality he never left James Smith Cree Nation changes the trajectory of the investigation.
Regina police chief Evan Bray said his team still believes Myles is hiding somewhere in the capital, but warned that the information is a day old. He said investigators believe there are residents with information about the suspects’s whereabouts and has called on them to come forward.
Myles Sanderson has been wanted since May for breaching his parole conditions.
“Even if he is injured, it does not mean he is not still dangerous,” Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP told reports. She said Myles has a lengthy criminal record involving both persons and property crimes.
Throughout the day, residents of James Smith Cree Nation chronicled the terror that gripped the community and paid tribute to victims.
Ivor and Darryl Burns say their sister Gloria, a first responder, was killed in the line of duty.
“We have 10 people dead, including my sister. She was butchered … with her friend and a 14-year-old boy, all three of them,” Ivor told Reuters.
Saskatchewan’s premier, Scott Moe, called the attacks “horrific” and said he offered his government’s support to all those affected. “There are no words to adequately describe the pain and loss caused by this senseless violence. All of Saskatchewan grieves with the victims and their families.”
A crowdfunding page was set up on Monday to help defray the costs of funerals and to provide financial support for the affected families, but by midday had only raised a fraction of its C$100,000 (£66,000) goal.
