Killer dad stalked us, mother says

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Canada/1082380.html

Killer dad stalked us, mother says
By The Canadian Press
Thu. Oct 2 - 4:47 AM

ROSEDALE, Alta. — The mother of a tot slain by his father in a murder-suicide says she had been stalked by the man for months and fled her home in fear.

Meara McIntosh, 27, sat on a deck outside that house in Rosedale, Alta., on Wednesday saying she had left because she felt it was the only way to save her son Colton from harm.

"I left here because I was terrified to be in my own home," she said.

On Sunday, her worst fear was realized when police found the three-year-old dead in a house in nearby Drumheller. He had been killed by his father, Richard Saunders, who was found dead at his side.

McIntosh said a court order forced her to hand Colton over to Saunders for the weekend despite her fears.

"I knew, statistically, it was the most dangerous time and had no intention of letting him see Colton again."

She said she is particularly distraught because "I forgot to say goodbye."

"But baby boy didn’t. He always said goodbye. He said goodbye over his shoulder and went bouncing off."

McIntosh said she left her husband because of his drug use and late nights when Colton was 10 months old.

She moved from Fort McMurray where they were living to Drumheller, but Saunders soon followed to try to rekindle the relationship, she said.

A custody dispute unfolded.

"Then the stalking started."

McIntosh said it began with suspicious footprints in the snow outside her home, vandalism and slashed car tires. She got a restraining order but after it expired she sought help — only to find none.

She said police threatened to arrest her "for making false complaints," while a social worker tried to claim she was an unfit mother. Some people in the community simply didn’t believe her.