Terry Eliuk told CBC News his daughter, 9, his ex-wife and former mother-in-law were shot by the mother-in-law's husband, who then turned the gun on himself. RCMP declined to comment on the motive or provide details of the investigation, but said they aren't looking for any suspects.Terry Eliuk told CBC News his daughter, 9, his ex-wife and former mother-in-law were shot by the mother-in-law's husband, who then turned the gun on himself. RCMP declined to comment on the motive or provide details of the investigation, but said they aren't looking for any suspects. (CBC)

Four people who were found dead in a rural home in northern Alberta over the weekend were his relatives, a man said Monday.

Terry Eliuk told CBC News his daughter, 9, his ex-wife and former mother-in-law were shot by the mother-in-law's husband, who then turned the gun on himself.

The RCMP declined to comment on the motive or provide details of the investigation, but said they aren't looking for any suspects.

On Sunday, RCMP Cpl. Wayne Oakes said a murder-suicide "may ultimately be what's deemed to have occurred, but we have a little bit more investigative work that has to be done before we can definitively make such a statement."

RCMP found the bodies on Sunday afternoon at the rural residence southeast of Smith, Alta., after receiving a phone tip. Police wouldn't confirm the identities until autopsies have been completed, but they said all were members of the same family.

Eliuk said his former in-laws were heavily in debt, and that tension had been building in the home for years.

"It's just a terrible thing for anyone to go through and I don't know if it's totally quite hit me just yet," Eliuk said.

Smith is about 200 kilometres north of Edmonton.