A medical examiner confirmed Tuesday the deaths of a father and son were the result of a murder-suicide.
Edmonton police began investigating the deaths of a 39-year-old man and his 11-year-old son after their bodies were discovered in a bungalow on 84th Street and 138th Avenue on Sunday.
Edmonton officers received a 911 call from the man's common-law wife, once she could not contact her husband inside their home. When officers arrived, Jeff Bostick and his son Jeremy were already dead.
Police confirmed there are no signs of violence at the bungalow where the deaths took place and say both bodies were found in the same room in the basement.
The Alberta Association for Community Living, an organization that offers support services to people living with disabilities, confirms it was working with the family before tragedy struck.
The boy was described as having a severe case of autism.
The organization says Jeremy had developmental difficulties and had been living at a separate home with caregivers. They say Jeremy's father was taking steps to have the young boy moved to a group home so he could be with more children his own age.
Karen Phillips with the Autism Society of Alberta says Jeff and his common-law wife were trying to get help for their son who was behaviourally out of control in the home.
In the last year, Jeremy had been admitted twice to the psychiatric ward for teenagers at the Royal Alexandra hospital, but staff there were not trained to deal with his disability.
The Autism Society of Alberta claims although the family was offered help, there is a gap in services for children with autism.
