A B.C. community reeling from the murders of three children earlier this week still has more questions than answers after a town hall meeting Thursday provided little new information.

Two hundred people attended the meeting in Merritt, along with the mayor, B.C.'s solicitor general and the RCMP's head of criminal investigations for the province.

But they were told they would not be able to ask questions and many left frustrated at the end of the meeting.

Adding to the community's unease is the fact police have not yet apprehended Allan Dwayne Schoenborn -- the father of the three murdered children and their prime suspect in the investigation.

The RCMP has been heavily criticized over the decision not to name Schoenborn, 40, as a suspect in the murder of his three young children, until almost 24 hours after the victims were found.

And new questions emerged Thursday after the RCMP hinted Schoenborn may have fled the ranching community hours before the bodies were discovered on April 6, not minutes before as first believed.

Neighbours had reported they thought the mother, Darcie Clarke, had only left the children alone with Schoenborn for 10 minutes.

Police at Thursday's meeting wouldn't say whether the mother is now being considered a suspect.

Ten-year-old Kaitlynne, eight-year-old Max, and five-year-old Cordon were found murdered in their mobile home on April 6. Their mother discovered their bodies after returning from a short errand.

Staff-Sgt. Scott Tod, head of the Merritt detachment, told the gathering that Schoenborn was arrested and released last week after uttering threats at the local school, but there weren't any indications that he was a danger to the children or their mother.

Many attending the meeting expressed concerns for the safety of their children.

Brenda Gustafson, with her 22-month-old daughter on her shoulder, said she was concerned that the suspect was still on the loose.

"We don't know if he's around our back door,'' Gustafson said. "We're scared to go out. We're scared to go downtown. We're scared to go anywhere. Everybody has to focus on finding him.''

One man said he doesn't want to send his children back to Diamond Vale Elementary until the suspect is caught.

Counsellor Dave McCauley said at the meeting that the entire community is struggling with what happened, saying, "We'd love to give you answers but there are none."

He also appealed on the community to support the RCMP officers, many of whom seen the murder scene first-hand.

New details emerge

Questions continue to emerge as details surface about the months and weeks leading up to the murders.

CTV News has learned RCMP officers attended the home of the murdered children on three occasions in the past six months due to concerns about their welfare.

But a justice of the peace who was dealing with Schoenborn in early April wasn't aware of that, nor the fact Schoenborn had violated a peace bond meant to keep his wife safe, when he ordered him released, said B.C.'s top provincial court judge.

It's not clear whether providing the justice of the peace with more information would have kept Schoenborn behind bars.

"There is a common thread that runs through these types of incidents, and it's the inability . . . of certain agencies to share information," Chief Coroner Terry Smith said.

Last May, Schoenborn was charged with threatening to kill his wife, but the charge was stayed. A modified restraining order -- a peace bond -- was put in place.

On February 26, Schoenborn pled guilty to violating the terms of the peace bond, and was fined $200.

It was revealed on Thursday that RCMP officers also attended the home on Christmas day, but wouldn't say why they were there.

With files from The Canadian Press and a report from CTV's Rob Brown.