Mohammed Al-Lami killed two sons on June 29, then set fire and died by suicide

A 40-year-old dentist killed his two young sons in southeast Ottawa on June 29 before setting fire to his dental practice in Iroquois and dying by suicide in a parking lot outside Kemptville, Ottawa police said in a news release detailing the homicide investigation on July 21.

Mohammed Al-Lami picked up his two sons, ages seven and 12, on the afternoon of Saturday, June 27, for a scheduled visit. The boys were last known to be alive on the evening of Sunday, June 28, when they were at their father's residence on Mandevilla Crescent in the area of Bank Street and Leitrim Road.

Early on Monday, June 29, Al-Lami set fire to his dental practice in Iroquois, located on the St. Lawrence River about an hour and a half drive southeast of Ottawa. He then drove a leased 2026 four-door Ford Explorer to a carpool lot near Highway 416 and Rideau River Road outside Kemptville, where he died by suicide in the vehicle.

Investigators examined the three scenes, completed interviews, reviewed financial and digital records, and considered forensic and post-mortem findings. "The evidence established that Al-Lami acted alone," the release stated. Because Al-Lami is deceased, police cannot lay charges. Police identified a history of intimate partner violence and continuing conflict involving parenting arrangements and financial support. "While no single circumstance can fully explain this violence, the evidence indicates that these issues likely formed part of the context leading to the deaths." The probe's findings have been communicated to the children's mother, who requested that their names not be released publicly.