A one-year-old boy was discovered unharmed next to the bodies of his mother and grandmother in a home in Courtice, Ontario, after police arrived to arrest the father on murder charges. The victims have been identified as Katrina Zwolinski, 33, and her mother Laurie Crew. Michael Belhu, 33, the father of the child and former partner of Zwolinski, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder.
Police were called to the residence on Moulton Court at around 1pm on Tuesday for a wellness check. Upon arrival, they found Zwolinski and Crew dead with 'obvious signs of trauma'. The toddler was physically unharmed and was removed from the home by authorities. Belhu was present at the scene and taken into custody.
Neighbors reported that police had been called to the home multiple times prior to the incident. In March, Belhu was charged with attempting to break down the door behind which Zwolinski and Crew were hiding. He had also ignored a court summons related to that charge. Residents described Crew as a devoted grandmother who often took the boy for walks around the neighborhood.
Durham Regional Police Service Sgt. Joanne Bortoluss stated, 'We believe at this stage for this to be an isolated incident. Beyond that, the connection between them will be part of the ongoing investigation.' Neighbour Kaitlin Joy called the murders 'avoidable' and 'truly devastating', recalling that Zwolinski loved hunting, fishing, and being outdoors.
Belhu appeared in court on Wednesday to face the charges. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not released further details about the motive or circumstances of the killings.
