Two 14-year-old boys charged in a double murder were in the care of the province and were missing from a group home at the time of the slayings.
The boys walked away from the home sometime Sunday afternoon, said Gus Rozycki, executive director of Bosco Homes, which runs the facility.
“The kids were playing outside, the staff were outside (and) two kids were suddenly missing,” Rozycki said Wednesday. “Once (staff) understood that they were indeed missing, they reported it immediately to the RCMP, because it was part of the condition of their release.”
One of the boys faces two charges of first-degree murder. The other faces two counts of being an accessory.
They were charged after the bodies of a man and a woman were discovered on a rural property east of Edmonton on Monday. RCMP Cpl. Darren Anderson said police are trying to piece together what happened.
Rachel Notley, an NDP member of the legislature, said it’s time to hold a public inquiry into Alberta’s Children’s Services Department.
“There’s just too many tragedies coming out of this ministry and not enough solutions and not enough transparency and taking responsibility on the part of the government,” she said.
Notley said she was tipped by area residents who had already expressed concerns to the government about security at the group home.
The boys were in custody and were to appear in Sherwood Park provincial youth court Wednesday.