Possible inquest months away
Thu, April 6, 2006
By TOBI COHEN, OTTAWA SUN
It'll be several months before the Ontario coroner even considers holding an inquest into the grisly deaths of Francine Mailly and her three children at the hands of her estranged husband.
Dr. Andrew McCallum, regional coroner for Eastern Ontario, said he would likely refer the case to the Domestic Violence Review Committee and that an inquest may be called once that review is complete.
Comprised of lawyers, social workers, doctors and women's shelter advocates, the committee is generally called upon to review all partner and ex-partner homicides.
The 37-year-old mother, her 12-year-old daughter, Jessica, and sons Brandon, 9, and Kevin, 6, were killed in a fiery blaze Sunday night at their Dunning Rd. home in Cumberland.
BALL OF FLAMES
Neighbours watched as Frank Mailly collapsed dead on his front lawn in a ball of flames, but it was days before OPP cadaver dogs and forensic investigators recovered the bodies of the rest of the family.
A note left in a minivan outside the house indicated Frank intended to kill his family.
Yesterday, investigators continued combing through the rubble for clues as to how the fire started.
Ottawa police Staff Sgt. Monique Perras said autopsies to determine the exact cause of death should be completed tomorrow.
The bodies would then be released to the families.
Police are expected to complete the painstaking ground search today, at which point the crime scene will be released and the road reopened.