A man accused of killing five-year-old Taliyah Leigh Marsman and her mother in Calgary has an "extensive criminal record" and was known to the victims, police say.
Edward Dalton Downey, 46, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Marsman and her mother, 34-year-old Sara Baillie. He was arrested on Wednesday night, one day before the young girl's body was found in a rural area of Chestermere, Alta.
Baillie was found dead at her Calgary home on Monday, and an Amber Alert was issued for Marsman. The alert was lifted when her body was found.
Downey, who sometimes goes by the last name Simmons, was sentenced to 18 months for aiding in prostitution in 1998. He was also sentenced to at least two years for cocaine trafficking and possession of an unauthorized firearm, in 2008.
Police say Downey was offering "limited" co-operation after his arrest. They say he was known to the victims and has been prohibited from contacting the girl's father, Colin Marsman.
However, Colin Marsman told CTV Calgary he doesn't know the suspect. "I have no idea who this man is," he said.
With files from The Canadian Press
