Investigators meet at one of three crime scenes where seven people were found dead, in north Edmonton
Investigators meet at one of three crime scenes where seven people were found dead, in north Edmonton, Alberta, December 30, 2014. Nine people have been killed in three related incidents in Edmonton in what police in the western Canadian city said was likely an act of domestic violence and the worst mass murder in nearly 60 years. Eight people were killed, seven in one location and the eighth in another, police said, and a man linked to the crimes committed suicide in a nearby town. REUTERS/Dan Riedlhuber

Nine people were found dead in three separate locations in Canada. The bodies were found in Fort Saskatchewan and Edmonton.

Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht called it a "tragic day" as he said that the mass murder was a "senseless." Knecht said that the first body found was of a middle-aged woman. Police officers found it after they had received a weapons complaint in south Edmonton around 6:53 p.m. on Monday. A man reportedly entered the house of the woman and shot her. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers received another call to check on the welfare of a man at a home located at 180 Avenue and 83rd Street in north Edmonton. "According to family, the male seemed depressed and overly emotional," CBC News quotes Knecht, "The family was concerned that the male may be suicidal." He said that it was the biggest mass murder in Edmonton since 1956 when six people were murdered.

Knecht said that the man was not there when officers reached the place. When officers went back to the place at 12:23 a.m., seven bodies were found. The deceased included two men, three women and two children - a girl and a boy. The officers went to a restaurant in Fort Saskatchewan at 2:20 a.m. They found a car which matched the description of the one owned by the suicidal male, who was found dead inside the restaurant at 8:45 a.m. The death was apparently caused by suicide. According to the Edmonton police chief, police are not searching for any other suspects regarding the murders. Knecht said that police did not consider the series of events to be "random acts." He also said that there was "no risk to the broader public." The names of the victims have not been released. Neither did police reveal the relationships between the victims and the man who committed suicide.

Don Iveson, the Mayor of Fort Saskatchewan, said in a statement on Tuesday that he had watched the tragic news with sadness. He said that his heart went out to all friends and family who had been impacted by the deaths. CTV News reports that the mayor has nothing but appreciation and gratitude for the officers involved in the incident.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@IBTimes.com.au