'A mother's worst nightmare:' 6-year-old girl and her father found dead in Red Deer home

An Alberta mother is grieving after hersix-year-old daughter was found dead inside a home in Red Deer,alongside the girl's deceased father, RCMP say.

The girl lived in the home with her 39-year-old fatherpart-time and went to school outside the Red Deer area,Supt. Ken Foster said at a news conference in Red Deer on Monday afternoon.

Police have spoken to the girl's mother, he said.

"As you can imagine, it's a mother's worst nightmare. She is now grieving the loss of a child."

Police found the bodies after being contacted by someone concerned about the well-beingof the people inside the home,Foster said.

They were discovered around 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the home in the Lancaster Meadows neighbourhood in the city's southeast.

Officers with the Mounties' serious crimes unit are investigating the deaths but police have so far not revealed publicly the identities of the girl and her father,details on how they died or details on his relationship with the girl's mother.

Red Deer RCMP said Monday the investigation is ongoing but there appears to be no threat to the public.

"On behalf of theRCMP,I want to express our most sincere condolences to the family andfriends of the deceased," saidFoster.

"This is a tragic loss that affects our whole community."

Teachers and classmates at the girl's school have been notified and counselling is being arranged.

Autopsies arescheduledfor Tuesday in Calgary.

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