File photo of police tape. The bodies of Kathryn Dawn Rogers and her husband Michael Dean Rogers, aged 55 and 56, were found Wednesday at their house in the town of Blue Mountains, an affluent vacation area about 10 kilometres west of Collingwood.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
Homicide rarely pays a visit to the resort town of The Blue Mountains but since last week, locals have been left wondering about the mysterious double homicide of a vacation resort manager and his wife.
The couple were found dead in their comfortable restored cabin, in a leafy area near Collingwood, Ont. The slayings have drawn no police warnings about public safety, suggesting the couple may have been targeted by someone they knew.
The bodies of Kathryn Dawn Rogers and her husband, Michael Dean Rogers, aged 55 and 56, respectively, were found Wednesday at their house in The Blue Mountains, an affluent vacation area about 10 kilometres west of Collingwood.
Uniformed police came to the couple's home on quiet Kitzbuhl Crescent, in response to a missing-persons report.
The cause of death has not been released, but OPP Sergeant Peter Leon said Sunday that a murder-suicide has been ruled out.
No arrests have been made, and it remains unclear whether a robbery also took place.
But in an earlier statement, Constable Martin Hachey said police have no concerns about the safety of local residents, and that beyond taking the usual precautions, they should not be alarmed.
"It doesn't appear we have any concerns whatsoever for the safety of the residents, whether here or anywhere in the area," he told a local newspaper on the weekend.
In that regard, nothing has changed, Constable Hachey said Sunday.
For now, one of the best leads detectives have is that at the time the couple were killed, they were trying to sell their home.
Until the listing was pulled last week from the Multiple Listing Service, the big, square-timbered house on a large piece of property – now sealed off with yellow police tape and an OPP command centre – was offered for $850,000.
The slain couple lived there full time, and Mr. Rogers is listed as the manager of homeowner services with the Blue Mountain Resort, a few minutes' drive from the crime scene.
News of the death of the low-key couple, combined with the presence of police search dogs scouring the area and cars being stopped by officers, baffled nearby residents, for whom the area is known as a sedate vacation spot for the affluent.
"How strange," said one neighbour who did not want her name published. "I do remember another murder-suicide quite a few years ago. It sort of brings it back. You never know, do you?"
She was alluding to the 1996 murder in Collingwood of Arlene May by her estranged husband Randy Iles, who then killed himself.
Mr. Rogers had been in The Blue Mountains for about three years, a colleague said, and was well liked.
Born and raised in the area, he moved west before returning to Ontario and joining the resort.
As the manager of homeowner services, he had dealings with several hundred people who had properties within the development, the colleague said.
A message left with management at the hotel was not immediately returned. Neighbours on Kitzbuhl Crescent were not willing to comment.
Sgt. Leon said investigators have been working around the clock since Wednesday, and are asking residents to be vigilant about anything unusual they encounter.
"If people see a strange vehicle or somebody they don't know walking in their area, err on the side of caution and contact police," he said.
Tu Thanh Ha