VANCOUVER, January 4, 2002 (LSN.ca) – A BC couple has been found dead along with their disabled son in an apparent murder suicide. Maurice and Belva Baulne who were in their 50’s and their mentally disabled adult son, Reece, aged 34, were found in a motorhome parked outside their house with a hose hooked up from the vehicle’s exhaust which caused carbon monoxide poisoning.
A note to family and friends explained their despair and concerns that their declining health would leave them unable to care for their son. The couple refused to place their son in a home. According to neighbours they had asked the government to provide remuneration to them for attending to the care of their son but instead the government offered the services of a respite worker a few hours a day.
One neighbour who refused to provide her full name said the sad case could have been avoided if the community recognized the stress and came to the couple’s aid. “I say shame on the community for not helping. I include myself in that,” she said. She said Mr. and Mrs. Baulne never asked for help, but known family hardships made the distress evident.
For more see the coverage in the National Post: https://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20020104/1031938.html