CONKLIN, Alta. — RCMP say three people have been found dead in a car in northern Alberta.
They say a security guard found a 29-year-old man and two women, ages 21 and 22, in a two-door car on a semi-remote access road near the hamlet of Conklin over the noon hour on Tuesday.
Emergency medical responders were called, but all three were declared dead at the scene.
Cpl. Teri-Ann Deobald said at this point there is no indication of any criminal connection to the deaths, or if carbon monoxide poisoning played a role.
"The vehicle was off when it was found. Depending on toxicology reports, we will also be looking at the vehicle," she said. "The time of death is unknown at this point."
There was also no immediate word on what the fuel level was in the vehicle's tank at the time. Temperatures in the region have been around -30 C.
Autopsies are pending and police have not released the names of the people, although Deobald said all three have different surnames and are not residents of the Conklin or Fort McMurray areas.
"One of the individuals did not have information on them," the spokeswoman said. "I don't know if they had temporary housing here or where their families are from. It's not uncommon for (the Municipality of) Wood Buffalo to have transient workers coming through from different cities."
The fatalities follow the deaths of a 17-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl who were found unconscious in a running vehicle in a parking lot in Drayton Valley, southwest of Edmonton, just days before Christmas.
RCMP said there was a strong smell of exhaust fumes in the Volkswagen Jetta when a patrolling Mountie discovered Gage Bogart and Shaina Lynn Ridenour.
Police said late last month that a faulty exhaust system could be behind the deaths.
Deobald said investigators in northern Alberta have the Drayton Valley case in mind as they look into the Conklin deaths.
"That's why (carbon monoxide poisoning) is one of the possible contributing factors. Everything is being considered."
