Quebec police investigate suspicious deaths of man and woman in Eastern Townships

A Surete du Quebec badge is seen in Montreal on Wednesday, July 22, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Police are investigating two suspicious deaths in Dunham, in the Eastern Townships.

The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) confirmed Saturday morning the death of two people discovered late Friday afternoon inside a residence on Lasnier St.

"The information collected so far leads us to believe that it would have been a murder followed by a suicide," read a statement from the SQ.

Police have released the names of the deceased: 59-year-old Patrizia Rao and 62-year-old Frédéric-Lynn Blair.

"An autopsy will be carried out on the bodies of the two victims in order to officially rule on the causes and circumstances of the deaths."

The police had received a call around 5:15 p.m. concerning a person in crisis, reported Sergeant Hélène St-Pierre Friday evening, spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec.

"When the police arrived, two people were found unconscious. We are talking about a man in his sixties and a woman in her fifties. Unfortunately, they were found dead," said another spokeswoman for the SQ, Sergeant Marythé Bolduc, on Saturday morning.

The crime scene was secured and forensic identification technicians were still on site overnight.

— This report was first published in French by The Canadian Press on Feb. 19, 2022.