HALIFAX — Nova Scotia RCMP are investigating another fatal case of domestic violence, this time in the southwest of the province.

Mounties reported two suspicious deaths in the coastal community of Yarmouth on Thursday, saying that on Nov. 1, officers found the remains of a 58-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman in a home on Placid Court .

Police said an investigation determined the man committed suicide after killing the woman in an act of domestic violence.

On Tuesday, RCMP and Halifax Regional Police confirmed they were investigating the murder of a 71-year-old woman by her 72-year-old partner in Cole Harbour, a suburb northeast of Halifax. Mounties said they responded Monday morning to a report of sudden deaths at a home on Poplar Drive.

As was the case in Yarmouth, police determined the man committed suicide after killing his partner.

On October 22, RCMP reported the suspicious deaths of a 59-year-old woman and a 61-year-old man, whose bodies were found on October 18 at a residence in Enfield, Nova Scotia, north from Halifax. At the time, Mounties said the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service determined the man died of self-inflicted injuries and the woman was the victim of homicide.

No further details were released at the time and the RCMP did not respond Thursday to a request for additional information.

In September, the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly passed a bill declaring domestic violence an epidemic in the province. The bill, introduced by the opposition NDP, was tabled in response to a recommendation from the commission of inquiry that investigated the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia that claimed the lives of 22 people.

The federal-provincial investigation found that the lone gunman responsible for Canada’s worst mass shooting had a history of domestic violence and brutally attacked his wife moments before embarking on a 13-hour killing spree across the North and central Nova Scotia.

When the bill was passed, New Democrats pointed out that Nova Scotia had the highest rates of domestic violence of any province in Canada, with more than 30 percent of women and 22.5 percent men who have been in a relationship reporting being physically or sexually assaulted by their partner.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published November 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press