Editor's note: The coroners service has since said the deaths are believed to have been caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. Update here.
New details are emerging about four people found dead in a remote area near Ashcroft, B.C., and the victims have been identified as a couple and their two young children.
Residents of a community called Saranagati Village, a Krishna spiritual community that owns property on Venables Valley Road, told CTV News the bodies were discovered inside a house on Friday.
The victims have been identified as Harvey Volaine, his wife Melissa Penner, and their two sons Kaylex, age 10, and seven-year-old Ay. A Go-Fund-Me page has been created to help with the costs of the funeral.
Dozens of families live on the Saranagati Village community some 120 km southwest of Kamloops, including around 60 children who attend school on the property.
The Venables community issued a statement on Sunday, asking for “respect and privacy during the process of grieving.”
“This tragedy has deeply impacted family and community members, both adults and children beyond what words can convey,” read the statement.
“We send our most sincere condolences to family members of the deceased in this time of loss.”
RCMP and the BC Coroners Service were at the site again on Sunday, gathering evidence. They maintain they don’t believe the public is at risk, although officials have not yet elaborated on how the family died.
With files from CTV Vancouver’s Sarah MacDonald
