WINNIPEG -- A 27-year-old man has been charged in connection to a double homicide in the RM of Tache on Thursday.

Manitoba RCMP were originally called to a home around 1:15 a.m. Thursday for reports of a disturbance, which was determined to be a break and enter in progress.

When officers got to the home on River Road, they found a 77-year-old man and a 73-year-old woman inside the home, and they were both pronounced dead at the scene.

Court documents show the names of the victims as Dennis and Bernadette Lidgett.

Karlton Dean Reimer from Steinbach has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and remains in custody.

He was scheduled to appear in court on Friday. The charges against Reimer have not been proven in court.

Justin Bohemier, the mayor of the RM of Tache, said the community is tight-knit and will help each other get through this.

“It’s a terrible thing, however, to have someone in custody is quite possibly the best-case scenario on this situation," Bohemier told CTV News.

RCMP said while officers were at the home, they received reports of a suspicious man and officers found him walking along Highway 59, where he was arrested.

Officers also found a stolen vehicle at the intersection of Highway 59 and Provincial Road 210, which investigators believed was linked to the man.

RCMP seized the vehicle.

Suzanne Moore, the president of Lorette Thrifty Treasures Inc., a second hand store, has lived in the area 37 years.

“We know the people who are involved and we are terrified. Some people are terrified of what can happen in a small town when you least expect it," said Moore.

Charlene Covell, the manager of the store, said she was at work when she heard the news on Thursday – two people had been killed only a short drive away.

"My heart was in my stomach. It was gut-wrenching to hear such sad news,” Covell said.

Covell moved away from the city to Lorette 11 years ago, partly for the safety that comes with a more rural community.

"You don't expect something like this to happen here. But it did, it does, and we hope that it doesn't ever happen again,” she said, adding she hopes the tragedy doesn't mar people's perception of Lorette as a safe place to live.

RCMP said the investigation is ongoing and added there is no known connection between Reimer and the victims.