RCMP: Canada Mass Stabbing Suspect Acted Alone

The Mounties now believe the stabbing spree that horrified Canada last month was carried out by a single person—Myles Sanderson, who died soon after he was taken into custody. Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP, said Thursday that investigators believe Sanderson killed all 10 victims found dead on Sept. 4 and also killed his brother, Damien Sanderson, who was initially considered a suspect, the CBC reports. Blackmore said that while Damien Sanderson may have helped his brother plan the rampage, he did not take part in it. "It seems that there may have been something that changed as the incidents unfolded," said Blackmore. Damien's body was found near the stabbing sites.

Blackmore said the motive for the murders is still unclear, but more details about Damien Sanderson's involvement in the planning will be revealed during inquests next year. "Myles Sanderson committed all of the homicides alone," Blackmore said, per the Washington Post. The RCMP "believes it is important to clarify Damien’s involvement in the sequence of these events to demonstrate our continued commitment to transparency to the victims and families of those affected, and to the public." Blackmore said the brothers had been selling drugs in the James Smith Cree Nation the day before the attacks. She said the brothers were involved in three violent altercations that day that were not reported to police.

Police haven't said whether they believe Damien was killed before or after the other murders. Myles Sanderson was taken into custody after a four-day manhunt. Authorities said he went into "medical distress" and died in a hospital soon after the arrest. No official cause of death have been disclosed, but sources have told the media he took pills before he was taken into custody and died of an overdose, the BBC reports.