Autopsies completed on girl and father found dead in Red Deer home

Autopsies have been conducted for the six-year-old girl and father found dead on the weekend inside a home in Red Deer, Alta., but further tests are needed to determine cause of death, the RCMP says.

The pair have not been identified publicly by police. They were discovered around 3:30 p.m. Sunday at a home in the Lancaster Meadows neighbourhood in southeast Red Deer.

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

The girl lived in the home part-time with her 39-year-old father and went to school outside the Red Deer area, police said Monday.

On Tuesday afternoon, RCMP issued a news release saying the autopsies had been completed in Calgary, adding that "determination of the cause and manner of death are pending further test results."

Investigators have finished examining the scene and it is no longer being contained, RCMP said, as Mounties in Red Deer and the serious crime unit continue to investigate.

When further tests are concluded by the medical examiner, an update will be provided, RCMP said.

On Monday, police said they had spoken to the girl's mother.

"As you can imagine, it's a mother's worst nightmare. She is now grieving the loss of a child," Supt. Ken Foster said at a news conference in Red Deer on Monday afternoon.

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

Police have so far not revealed publicly any furtherdetails on the father's relationship with the girl's mother.

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