Warning: Details in this story may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is advised.
The coroner’s inquest into the deaths of a Prince Rupert family of four heard testimony on Thursday that supports murder-suicide as a cause of death.
The inquest is looking into the June 2023 deaths of Janet Nguyen and Christopher Duong and their two sons, aged two and four.
On Thursday, an RCMP officer testified that the crime scene supported the theory that Duong killed his children and Nguyen before taking his own life.
“The children were drugged prior to being murdered, based on the cold medication located on scene, being consistent with their toxicology results,” Cpl. Matthew Blumberg testified.
“Janet Nguyen was strangled with an electrical cord to the point it was extremely tight; she could not have done that to herself.”
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A video from the couple set out their “last will and testament” and was shared between the couple’s phones a few days before the family was found dead, Blumberg said.
Blumberg said there was no sign of a struggle between Duong and Nguyen.
He described how the bodies of Duong, Nguyen and their two children were found in the same bed.
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Blumberg said the boys had teddy bears placed at their feet, and were believed to have been drugged by their father.
“It was observed that neither of the children had obvious signs of injury, but their lips were blue and their skin was pale,” he told the hearing.
2:04
Inquest begins into deaths of Prince Rupert family
Previously, the inquest heard that in the early morning hours of June 10, 2023, Prince Rupert RCMP found a Mercedes SUV abandoned, packed with suitcases and a large amount of cash.
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Its owners, Nguyen and Duong — both in their 30s — later returned to the scene. They told police they were being followed and a hit, or assassination, had been ordered against them.
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Police told the inquest Duong was known to local officers and was alleged to have been involved in the Prince Rupert drug trade.
He was taken into custody under the Mental Health Act, while Nguyen and the couple’s children were returned to the family home.
The family was found dead on June 13, 2023.
1:48
Day two of coroner’s inquest into deaths of Prince Rupert family of four
The inquest heard that the Ministry of Children and Family Development was contacted by police after Duong was apprehended and a social worker was expected to make contact with the family during a five-day window.
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Social worker Scott Bertram testified on Wednesday that the response time frame could be overridden, and that had he known Duong was to be released from the hospital a few hours later, he would have upgraded it to 24 hours.
A social worker attempted to make contact with Nguyen on June 13 but was unsuccessful and the local office was notified of the deaths the following day.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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