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A 39-year-old man and his 11-year-old son are dead as the result of a murder-suicide.

The matter was Edmonton's nineteenth homicide case of the year.

Police have closed their investigation.

The medical examiner has confirmed the deaths of two family members found in a home in Edmonton's north end were the result of a murder-suicide.

Homicide detectives were first dispatched to a home at 8403 138 Avenue to investigate the deaths after police received a call at about 12:45 p.m. September 27th, 2009.

Initially, police released few details other than that they were investigating the suspicious deaths of an adult male and a male child.

Most of what is known came from neighbours who said a common-law couple each with their own sons – one aged 9 and the other 11 – had moved into the rental home after moving from Ontario about two years ago.

One neighbour said the woman had brought her nine-year-old son over to stay for a while on the afternoon of the 27th. The son told the neighbour that his father was locked in the basement and couldn't be roused.

Police confirmed that the wife called them after she couldn't reach her husband inside their home, and when officers arrived they found the father and son in the basement, already deceased.

No one was taken into custody and police indicated that they were not looking for any suspects.

Police said there were no signs of violence in the home and that the father and son were found together in the same room.

Although the families involved asked for names not to be released, CTV Edmonton reported the deceased were 39-year-old Jeff Bostick and his 11-year-old son Jeremy.

Without revealing specific details, the cause of death released by the medical examiner's office was murder-suicide.

Jeremy suffered from autism and lived with caregivers, only visiting his family home on weekends.

According to neighbours, the woman named Deena worked as a dispatcher for a local trucking company. Most said they appeared to be a good family and that there were no signs of trouble.

"I know the father was very compassionate to the son," one woman said.

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deadmonton 2009 - father-son murder-suicide