Family member in custody after bodies discovered at Brussels, Ont. home

Charges are now pending against a family member of the two people discovered deceased at a home near Brussels, Ont. on Wednesday afternoon.

“The individual we’ve taken into custody is connected to the family. In terms of public safety, we believe this is certainly an isolated event. It wasn’t a random attack on these individuals. We can say the individual in custody is related to the family,” says Huron OPP Const. Jamie Stanley.

The bodies of two adults, one male and one female, were found Wednesday afternoon around 4 p.m. by officers conducting a well-being check on the occupants, at a home on Graham Street, on the outskirts of Brussels.

Police have not released the names of the deceased individuals, but neighbours identify the couple who lived in the home as Darwin Ducharme and Bev Stevenson. Neighbours describe the couple, who had lived there together since approximately 2007, as “nice” and “friendly” and “neighbourly”.

The yet unexplained deaths have shocked the community.

“I am, because it’s very close to me because one of my parishioners is one of the grandmothers of what happened. But, I don’t know too many of the facts,” says Brussels resident Peter.

“It was quite a shock for us. It’s a nice town. They were nice people, too,” says Brussels resident Edna McLellan.

Police were back on scene today, focusing their efforts inside the white brick house and inside a nearby garage. They’re seeking the public’s help with any “suspicious” activity near the home in the hours leading up to the deaths.

“We’d certainly like to speak with anybody with information in relation to anything suspicious they might have seen or heard Tuesday evening, right up until police arrival Wednesday afternoon,” says Stanley.

As they await more information, and the pending charges, Brussels residents say they still can’t believe this happened in their close knit community.

“We wouldn’t expect this in this town. Brussels is a very friendly environment. I guess, it’s shocking in a way, but these things are happening all over the country,” adds Peter.

Police expect to release more information about the exact charges facing the man in custody and the names of the deceased in the coming days.